


Judging by its cover…

by the_six_fingered_villain



Category: Glass (2019), Split (2016), Unbreakable (2000)
Genre: Dubious Consent, Friendship, I really like books, I've no idea how actual therapy works, Multi, Obsession, Past Abuse, Plot, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Violence, tough!Casey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-07-28 22:52:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 187,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16251434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_six_fingered_villain/pseuds/the_six_fingered_villain
Summary: Victoria visits her friend Orwell in the Reynolds Psychiatric Hospital, where he has been committed following a brief murder spree.  Except, it’s not really Orwell.A completed story based on only the first two Glass trailers, written in the months leading up to the new movie release.





	1. Visiting Hours

This had been a mistake. She knew that now.

 

Victoria looked down at her hands, still gripping the book. She couldn't keep looking at the stranger that sat perfectly still across from her, looking out from Orwell's eyes. Doctor Staple had warned her about that. That Orwell might not... might not be there when she came to visit. But she'd been asked to visit and Victoria always believed in doing what one could in order to help others.

 

Tracing the edge of the cover with a finger, she tried again. "And, and then Jeremy brought everyone up to speed on how his paper applying the Nyāya Sūtras to today's modern political climate is going... it..." Risking a glance up again, she felt the words dry up in her throat.  It was as if he was wearing an Orwell mask and it was possibly the most uncanny thing she'd ever seen.

 

"I'm not Orwell," he repeated. Victoria licked her lips and nodded, looking down again.  Even his voice was a stranger's, not quite as deep, more rounded. Dripping with scorn under an entirely new accent.

 

"I- I understand that. But Dr. Staple said..." She struggled not to look over her shoulder at the woman sitting at the back of the room. "Act like I'm not even there," the smiling doctor had said before they'd entered. Of course, she then had laid a hand on Victoria's arm and assured her that she'd be there the whole time as well as the armed security team, just on the other side of the door. That there was nothing to worry about.  Which of course was then when Victoria had truly started to worry.

 

"She said that maybe you'd... pass along some of what I said to him. That maybe he'd be able to hear me."  The stranger's lip twitched, frowning ever so slightly before returning to the stoic calm he'd maintained the so far. Victoria made a mental note not to suggest the idea of eavesdropping again. "I just know that he- he always liked listening to everyone's work and had so many opinions."  Talking to Orwell who wasn't Orwell in the third person was a struggle and she took a deep breath. "I was just wondering if maybe he- if you'd let him-"

 

"No," the stranger's voice was both bored and tired. She looked up again in time to see him giving Dr. Staple a lazy glare.  His arms remained crossed across his broad chest with his posture somehow both rigid and disinterested. Of course she wouldn't have been the most exciting guest brought in but Victoria bristled ever so slightly at the implied tedium of her visit that his look suggested.  She'd been asked to try and coax Orwell into the Light though she still wasn't quite certain what that meant or how that worked. But that's not why she'd come.

 

Orwell had been a friend. She wasn't here to further some psychologists agenda to but reach out to a friend in need who was going through some dark times. And from what she had understood from the news there were likely... others there, with Orwell, who might need her help. Though the idea still confused her, the many in one, she drew strength from her purpose.

 

Clearing her throat, Victoria sat up straight and thrust the book forward. The stranger made no move to take it but did at least raise an eyebrow. "I brought a book for you. Not- I mean you, all of you, not just Orwell. Though I did include Chandana's paper and several others."  She continued to hold the book out and the stranger in Orwell's body continued to not take it, though a hint of interest had at least flickered across his face.

 

"It looks like one of Orwell's books," he remarked dryly. "Why would I take a book for him, he doesn't deserve it."  Victoria blinked twice, the idea of someone not deserving a book being a deeply horrifying.

 

"Dr. Staple said I could only bring one so I thought I'd do my best. Make the most of it when I made it," She offered a weak smile and gestured again with the book, still holding it out. It was actually quite heavy, being one of the thickest she'd bound, and if he didn't take it soon she worried what would happen.

 

"I... I only know Orwell but the news has said a lot about... They've talked about so many of your..." She felt her face flush as her hand started to tremble, only in part due to the weight. How do you tell someone that every aspect of their life had been disgorged into the public sphere to be picked over by the masses. That she herself had sifted through details of lives no doubt meant to be private. Disparate lives that were connected in a way she still didn't quite understand or even know how to refer to.  "There's excerpts from the latest New Yorker and a short story by Guadalupe Nettel and two stories my friend says are popular with the fourth graders at her school...."

 

The shift that overtook him was subtle but no less disturbing. He cocked his head ever so slightly to the side and pursed his lips. A hand gracefully unfolded and with light fingers, plucked the book from her. Victoria felt her mouth hanging open in shock for a second or two too long, transfixed as she was by the change of expressions on Orwell's face.  But clearly, this still wasn't really Orwell.

 

"Well isn't this a fine piece of craftsmanship," the new stranger purred. Victoria inhaled sharply through her nose at the very foreignness of the sound. The Orwell mask had smoothed. Before his normally thoughtful expression had been replaced by a single furrow between brows and hooded eyes. Now he looked effortlessly calm and possibly a little coy when he glanced up. He'd removed his glasses and Victoria realized she'd never seen him without them before. "A personalized anthology for us? How exceptionally thoughtful of you, my dear. Why none of your other guests brought us anything, Dr Staple."

 

There was a soft whisper of fabric as the doctor shifted in her chair and Victoria held her breath. She hadn't been exactly forthcoming with what she'd brought with her into the psych ward. They'd put it through a scanner and both a guard and the doctor had lazily flipped through the pages without complaint. If they'd perhaps looked a little closer they might have seen an interesting page or two in there but Victoria understood well the effect the right font or typesetting had on a page. It came with the job.

 

The room was silent for a while as the stranger flipped through the book, stopping occasionally and giving it a closer look than anyone else so far. Victoria had a pretty good idea of which section it was that caused the stranger to look up again, the coy smirk now paired with a raised eyebrow.  Victoria didn't turn her head, but nervously flicked her gaze to the side and back, wishing she could better know Dr. Staple's reaction. The stranger's smirk widened. Her decision to include the the Patient Self-determination Act and several other articles from healthcare law, ethics, and regulation had been a last minute one. And from the way she's massaged the formatting and tucked it into an inconspicuous location betrayed her guilty feelings in doing so.  Knowing one's rights wasn't illegal, sharing such legal information was in fact part of her job, but she had a small feeling that the doctor wouldn't appreciate her having done so.

 

"And some romance," the stranger sighed happily, closing the book. "How thoughtful."  Victoria blinked and looked away with a blush. She had included a vanilla romance novella as well but the stranger hadn't commented when they passed by it at the beginning.  "I'm sure Jade will be thrilled."

 

Tucking the book into their lap and resting a hand on it, the stranger leaned forward. Orwell's other hand was extended, wrist effeminately bent. "I'm Patricia," they murmured. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance... Victoria, was it?"

 

Victoria audibly gulped. She'd suspected, but to hear Orwell call himself Patricia in that soft British voice was a shockingly painful confirmation. Patricia. The news had a lot to say about the Patricia personality. Patricia and Dennis and Hedwig.  A lot had been said.

 

Victoria started to reach out to politely return the handshake when Dr Staples cleared her throat. "No touching, remember?" Victoria felt like the reminder was soaked with a patronizing tone, though she wasn't quite certain who it was meant for.  Patricia's smile compressed and she made a small sound of disapproval before lowering her hand. It returned to the cover with such a delicate arch to the fingers, Victoria couldn't help but stare. Orwell had loved books but had always held them in such a desperate clutching grip. Always hugged close to his chest or grasped in a vigorously gesturing hand. To see his body perch so lightly with one made her skin crawl.

 

"Yes, well, books were- are- books are the cornerstone of- of- Orwell and my relationship," she felt cheeks burn with a blush. "Our friendship. About books." Word choice had never felt harder.  There was no 'you' here when talking about Orwell and there was no 'relationship' when talking about Orwell. Licking her lips, she pressed on to gloss over her flustered feelings. "I don't know if he- he ever shared it with you or... but... A couple months ago when we- when he and I- were grabbing a drink after the meeting- which, I mean, everyone went to so it was rather like the meeting continued- we were talking about books and the meaning and definition of a book."  Victoria again licked her lips and looked up and about the room as she rambled on, trying not to see the coy smirk that spread across Orwell's lips. She couldn't look, because they weren't Orwell's. They were Patricia's at the moment.

 

"And about how the book is really just the physical representation, manifestation, of the ideas. That it's a container, a receptacle, and that the words within were themselves still not the book in the logical sense. And we talked about how a book could have multiple stories and still be one book... which in hindsight I realize was probably a metaphor Orwell was using to talk about you- you all... that it was a metaphor but you know I'm so- Orwell knew that my interest has always been specifically on the book structure.  And we- he and I- talked about the fetishization of the form and he teased me about it but I really found the conversation deeply insightful and have reflected on it a lot since then. Which is true, you know, for a lot of conversations that Orwell and I had and I was happy to have the chance to make a book that was actually more specifically tailored to the metaphor. Like editing an anthology but with an inversion of the subject and the observer..." At this point Victoria was staring straight up at the ceiling and presumably beet red. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd said, but she was certain it hadn't come out the way she meant it. Or she'd meant what she'd said but regretted sharing it. "Anyway, I hope he has the chance to enjoy it..." she finished weakly.

 

The slow and exceptionally feminine chuckle that rolled out of Orwell's body raised the hair on the back of Victoria's neck. Who knew he could even make such a sound? "Oh my dear," she, for the pronoun shift was undeniable, said and brought a hand up to rest under her chin. "I can see how the two of you got along so well." Victoria brought her chin down, skipping Patricia's face within Orwell's, to stare at the ground. "Unfortunately Orwell has been a touch difficult lately and I simply can't let him have the Light at the moment. You know how he can be when he gets all riled up and harps upon a point," she said with a conspiratorial tone. Victoria nodded mutely, gaze locked on Patricia's neatly crossed ankles.

 

"But don't you fret, I'll be certain he has a chance to admire your handiwork," her hand fluttered in a placating manner. "And I do hope you'll come back again soon so we can chat again.  Perhaps with the knowledge that his dear friend Victoria will visit, he'll find it within himself to behave a little better. Be a bit more reasonable."

 

"But Patricia," Dr Staples interjected from behind. "That's exactly why I brought Victoria here in-"

 

"With no warning," Patricia snapped sharply. "And after such a tedious parade of guests. How was Orwell to know that she'd be added to the guest list?" She raised her hand and traced the side of her head, as if tucking back a lock of hair where none existed.  "No, we simply can't let Orwell into the Light at this moment. Would send the wrong message."

 

There was a rustle as Dr Staples presumably closed her notebook and stood. "Well then I don't know if we can have Victoria back here again. The purpose of these visits-"

 

"I'm happy to come back," Victoria tried to interject helpfully.

 

"Yes, yes, I know, I know," Patricia said, speaking over both women. "And you'll get your wish, Doctor. We'll let some of the better behaved ones into the Light so they have a chance to read their part of the book." She flashed a smile at Victoria and made a slight nod of gratitude. "Not right now, not with little Victoria here. I think it might... distress her. No?" Orwell's face, driven by this Patricia, raised an inquiring eyebrow and Victoria realized she'd been drowning in distress for the entire visit.

 

The idea of more of these strangers driving him like a puppet, inhabiting his body because it was also their own, caused her throat to close up. She could only shake her head silently and then quickly nodded it, confused as to weighter assent or dissent would yield the horrific outcome.  Realizing she was the last one sitting, she quickly scrambled to her feet and moved behind the chair. Gripping it, holding it between her and this Patricia, she waited till she heard the click of the door. Like prey in the presence of a predator, she backed out of the room, never once turning her back on or taking her eyes off Patricia. The guard slammed the door closed and quickly locked it before she could even remember to offer a polite goodbye.

 

In a daze, Victoria followed Dr Staple down the hall a brief ways till they reached the security gate. Hugging her notebook to her chest, the psychiatrist turned to her with a large smile and stuck out her hand. "That went really well! Thank you for your cooperation, Ms Varati. We'll be in contact."  And with that she found herself shuffled out of the Reynolds Psychiatric Hospital.

* * *

Dennis lay on the bed, arms stiff at his sides, staring up at the ceiling. They had given up on trying to conceal the fact that they never technically slept but Dennis maintained his position in the Light out of sheer stubbornness and spite.  Hedwig had grown bored over an hour ago and yielded to him and Patricia was still sleeping. The others wanted the Light but he wasn't going to let that happen. He could feel a tickle at the back of his throat, someone wishing to speak to him but he refused.  Jaw locked tight he just lay there.

 

Another minute ticked past, than perhaps twenty more. The tedium of their new life tore at him. With a jerk, he swung his feet to the floor and sat up on the bed. The clinical lighting said nothing about the time of day and there was never a clock visible. He would not give into the feelings of despair. They were here because they believed in the power of the Beast. And he would continue to do so. The fact that they'd been captured by some psycho in a rain poncho, that was but a minor setback. Patricia and he had repeated it back and forth. The Beast would return, they would get out of here. All would be well. He could not give into the despair.

 

The temptation to just step out of the Light was there. To just let someone else pass the time, deal with the tedium, to endure this existence in a white room. But he and Patricia and Hedwig had talked about this as well. They could not be lulled into a sense of ease. They could not relax. The Beast would save them but they also had to to be ready to help, constantly alert. They were all in this together. In this room. The fact that it was perfectly clean and perpetually tidy offered no comfort.

 

He could feel the book from across the room. Someone had left it on the small shelf before the mirror. It radiated an invisible energy that tugged at him and tempted him to pick it up.  He crossed his arms tightly over his chest. The urge to walk over to it and destroy it warred with the desire to flip through it again. Something so insignificant was not worth his time or attention, he knew that. But at the moment he had an infinite amount of time with literally nothing else to distract his attention.

 

Dr. Staple had attempted to barter with him and bribe him at various points since their capture. They'd wanted nothing she could offer since everything was so clearly bait for some trap. There had been books, better food, and even a TV at one point that had truly put Hedwig's devotion and ability to behave to the test. All offered and then eventually retracted when they didn't play the games the doctor wanted them to play. If they let one of the others unwatched into the Light they would surely cave within moments.

 

The guests themselves had just been another move in her pathetic game. He didn't even know how she found that many people willing to see them. It seemed as if she'd almost managed to wrangle someone connected to each of the others. The janitor who was friends with Luke. Jack from Barry's studio. Jade's favorite nurse. A lifting buddy of Kat's. Someone they didn't even know who seemed to be quite a fan of the Beast. Even the barista from the coffee shop they all used to frequent.

 

Even Casey Cooke.

 

Dennis ran his hands over his scalp and tried not to think about the visit. But struggle as he might, the memories continued to hover. He had no idea how they had convinced her to see them again. He thought about the feeling of her hand on his arm. That's how he'd noticed. Hedwig had been in the Light and Dennis could sense he was getting more and more excited when it happened. Hedwig still wouldn't tell him or Patricia what they'd been talking about. But she'd reached out and touched them and it had felt like lightning. He'd wrestled the Light from Hedwig with such ferocity they'd all been surprised. Maybe he thought they were being attacked? It's the only way he could really explain his reaction.

 

The guards had stormed the room quickly enough, though Dennis refused to believe Casey was actually frightened. He wished he'd had just a bit more time with her, but the doctor had reacted poorly to his sudden claiming of the Light. The fear of the Beast during these visits kept everyone on edge. After that, the no touching rule had been established.

 

He didn't want to be thinking about this. Standing up he gave his head a shake and paced back and forth for a bit. Again he felt a pressure at the back of his throat, one of the others wanting to chime in and make some no doubt cutting remark. Knowing it wasn't Patricia or Hedwig though he just ground his teeth together and didn't budge. There was a new sympathy in his heart for the polar bears he used to watch pace eternally back at the zoo.

 

The temptation of the book slowly didn't seem so terrible. It wasn't giving in to an indulgence that had been crafted by the doctor. It was an escape from something that felt unbearable. Swiping it off the counter, he rigidly settled himself on the bed, back against the wall. The glasses on the bedside table were retrieved and carefully unfolded. It bothered him that a second pair matching Orwell's prescription sat next to them. That was part of the bargain though, that if Dennis was granted his glasses Orwell would get his as well. And if Dennis or anyone else broke Orwell's glasses, Dennis would lose his as well.

 

Already one could see which sections of the book were more popular than others. The romance novella towards the front had several dog eared pages. There was even a dirty thumb print he observed as he flipped past. Hedwig's section was slightly warped, looking as if he'd spilled water on some of the pages. Dennis ground his teeth just a little bit harder upon seeing someone had marked one of the pages in the 'News' chapter. The content hadn't been explicitly named as belonging to any individual in particular, though sometimes it was rather obvious. No one but Kat would be reading that section written in Russian for example. But Dennis liked to think that the News belonged to Patricia and himself. It was primarily about the Beast which was their concern after all.

 

The three of them- Dennis, Patricia, and Hedwig- had taken turns closely monitoring those who were let into the Light to read the book. Where as the hospital staff tried and failed to bribe the three of them, the others were not nearly so strong. Slowly more cooperation and respect had been extracted from the others in exchange for time in the Light. Everyone understood now that they wouldn't tolerate being called the Horde. That there would be no more names or threats. Now that they'd been confined to this institution rebellion seemed to be a moot point.

 

There were still some who were uncooperative. Bernice and Orwell for example refused to bend and continued to heap scorn on them given even the slightest chance. It'd given Dennis great pleasure to slowly tear one of the academic papers from the book, page by page. Orwell had made it clear he wouldn't cooperate and Dennis made it clear what the ramifications of that decision would be. Of course all the others, including Patricia, had come down on him quite hard about that. She'd been quite firm that there was to be no more desecration of their one indulgence.

 

Dennis still felt the temptation to rip the whole thing to pieces. It was a reasonable distraction from the ennui of life here but it was still a yoke about their necks. The fact that it wasn't some carefully crafted one, tailored by the doctor for some specific purpose, made it somewhat bearable. They'd conceded to talking during group therapy now in exchange for getting to keep the book. In truth that did help pass the time. And a few of the others who seemed particularly contrite were granted time in the Light to talk to the doctor.

 

Without specifically meaning to, Dennis had flipped to the pages that detailed the aftermath of the Beast's awakening. Snippets of articles and transcripts from the news all from the days directly following. They were densely packed into just a few pages with cramped paragraphs and stripped down formatting. Even so, Casey's name jumped out at him from the wall of text. There were few references to her, the media clearly having favored the tragic narrative of Claire, but she was there.

 

He snapped the book close, furious. This wasn't working, he was supposed to be avoiding thoughts of her. Trying again, he opened the book to a random section far removed from where he had just been.

 

> << _There man rediscovers a truth he had forgotten, though it was manifest: what desire can be contrary to nature, since it was given to man by nature itself?_ >>
> 
>  

Dennis paused, the random phrase so striking he felt his breath hitch. He flipped forward back a couple of pages and let another passage overtake him.

  

> << _This, to be sure, is a whole security system against the violence of the insane and the explosion of their fury. Such outbursts are regarded chiefly as a social danger. But what is most important is that it is conceived in terms of an animal freedom. The negative fact that "the madman is not treated like a human being" has a very positive content: this inhuman indifference actually has an obsessional value: it is rooted in the old fears which since antiquity, and especially since the Middle Ages, have given the animal world its familiar strangeness, its menacing marvels, its entire weight of dumb anxiety. Yet this animal fear which accompanies, with all its imaginary landscape, the perception of madness, no longer has the same meaning it had two or three centuries earlier: animal metamorphosis is no longer the visible sign of infernal powers, nor the result of a diabolic alchemy of unreason. The animal in man no longer has any value as the sign of a Beyond; it has become his madness, without relation to anything but itself: his madness in the state of nature. The animality that rages in madness dispossesses man of what is specifically human in him; not in order to deliver him over to other powers, but simply to establish him at the zero degree of his own nature._ >>

 

Blinking slowly, Dennis carefully flipped further, looking for the section's start. "MADNESS AND CIVILIZATION A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason" it read in a bland, cramped font. There was no bolding or inflation of text size to draw attention to the start. The name "Michel Foucault" sat on the next line before it launched into the the dense text.  It sat in a rather untouched portion of the book, no smudges or creases indicating someone had dwelt here before.

 

Somehow he had missed this on each perusal of the book so far. It was an impressively large volume and with this section so far in the back it was rather awkward to hold. The language, denser even than the printed text, read like something Orwell would have enjoyed. But instead of dry Hindu histories it was about him. Them. About the injustice society had inflicted on the pure.

 

And thus Dennis found a brief reprise from the oppression of their imprisonment. Saved and steadied as many throughout time have been by the comforting embrace of a good read.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First fan fiction I’ve ever written, though I’ve been a reader of it for 15+ years… No idea why I’d start with Split of all the fascinating fandoms out there, but here I am.


	2. Group Therapy

"Hi, Victoria?" Ellie smiled forcefully in the empty office, trying to imbue her tone with extra friendliness. "Yes, this is Dr Staple. I'm so happy I could catch you. Is now an ok time to talk?"

 

"Hmmm, yes. Just wanted to chat briefly and see if you'd be open to coming back to visit again," Dr Staple rolled a pen between her fingers, listening. "Uh-huh. Hmmmm... Yes, of course... No, no, you shouldn't worry about that."

 

"No, of course. I understand. And I'd hate to burden you too much. It's just that Kevin demonstrated such improvement after your visit. I just hope- Yes... no... no no, like I said, I wouldn't want to burden you."  Idly Ellie fidgeted with the book upon her desk. "Oh, I'm sure it would mean quite a lot to them."

 

"Oh, I don't know... I haven't spoken to him directly but they have asked already when you were coming back." She jotted the words 'duty, obligation' in her notebook and tapped the pen a couple times, listening, before adding 'earnest'.

 

"Let me think about that for a moment,"  she said and pulled the book over. Flipping through the pages, she hunted for the more worn sections. "Several of the Alters really enjoyed the romance you included. Clever idea, that. And I believe more than just Hedwig read The One and Only Ivan."

 

In truth, Ellie had tried to stay away from the book.  The staff had been instructed not to talk about it. She realized that it's appeal was in no small part due to it's dissociation with herself. Her patients understood that she controlled every aspect of their lives within this facility. The fantasy that they had access to something 'other' had empowered and invigorated them no doubt. She'd let them maintain that illusion up until yesterday afternoon.

 

Hedwig's sudden refusal to participate in the group exercise had forced her hand. All the patients needed to understand that she followed through with her threats. But it also meant she was back to where they had been earlier that month. A sullen and unresponsive individual was of no use to her.  There was no more data to be collected from just the so called 'Horde' Alteres. The progress they had made indicated that, when he was cooperative, Kevin also provided a valuable function in the broader scheme of her research. It frustrated her to know she was never going to truly reach David without him.

 

Ms. Varati continued to talk herself in circles on the other end of the line but Ellie knew she had her. "That's fascinating," she interjected eventually. "And I'd love to talk more about it in person. Would this Friday work for you...? No? Hmm... No, how about Wednesday?" Ellie jotted down the details as they ironed them out.

 

"Excellent. You too. Uh-huh. You too. Thank you. Yes. Bye. Bye now" she ended the call even as the faint voice continued to babble on.

 

* * *

 

 

They all sat in the room again. This time only David had restraints on. Apathetically Dennis wondered what he'd done to incur that punishment. He looked to Dr Staple with narrowed eyes. Perhaps it wasn't what he had done, but what she hoped he'd do.

 

He's spoken to many psychologists in his time, or at least Kevin and the others had. All but Dr. Fletcher had been worthless, each one pathetic or stupid or just wrong during sessions. Dr. Staple was the first psychiatrist they'd seen and he wondered now if she was actually actively malicious. The way sessions went, individually or in the more frequent group ones, it seemed as if she was constantly trying to provoke outbursts.  

 

Dennis couldn't help but reflect upon their 'treatment' and what he'd read in the book. Presumably Orwell had kept philosophy books his corner of their room, though Dennis had never bothered to look that closely. He'd never read anything like it and found he was able to escape, in a way, from therapy for large stretches of time by contemplating the different ideas Mr. Foucault had introduced him to. Despite his best efforts though, he occasionally would find himself focusing again on what was actually going on in the room around him.

 

"I don't want to talk about it," David snapped, chains rattling as he shifted and pointedly looked out one of the windows.

 

"But if you really loved Audrey, why would you have lied to her all those years?" The doctor continued to harp on her point. It wasn't a new one, they'd dwelled on it extensively during all of last week's sessions. Dennis had his opinions on the matter and he could feel Patricia seeth with biting commentary of her own.

 

Last week it had almost been enjoyable to drop a callous comment here and there during these group therapy sessions. Especially in regards to David's impure wife and child. Hearing about their idyllic life and happy home had made him sick to his stomach. It'd been rewarding to see the man get worked up, to see someone else struggle and suffer in this hellish place besides himself. But that was last week.

 

Dennis stared impassively at the doctor and he could see her frustration mounting. She glared back at him though she continued to speak to David. He wondered how long she'd been doing so and it was clear she was angry that he wasn't needling David. That alone made him double down own on his commitment to silence.  Perhaps he'd earn himself an injection of another one of her mysterious cocktails. So far whatever they'd been medicating them with off and on hadn't been able to overcome their collective iron will. Either Patricia or himself had been able to bear the effects or they were so collectively overwhelmed that the time was passed in an unconscious stupor. Either way, Dr Staple seemed unhappy with the results and he counted that as a success.

 

Hedwig had again refused to share with Dennis or Patricia what had gotten them all in trouble and cost them the book. It didn't matter though. They stood strong against the others and the doctor. The Beast would free them and in the meantime they didn't have to play these stupid games. Hedwig mostly avoided the Light now when the doctor was present and Dennis had no problem holding to their retaliatory threat of silence.

 

Mr. Glass made some dry remark not quite under his breath but David ignored him. It seemed like he was quite capable of brushing the older man's comments off. It was when Dennis or the others ganged up on him that Mr. Glass seemed able to get under David's skin. That's what'd sparked the last outburst. And that, no doubt, was what the doctor was hoping for.

 

Clearing her throat, Dr. Staple shuffled her notes. She was moving to a new target and Dennis cared not at all whether she picked him or Elijah. He continued to stare at her with a bored and flat expression. A passage from the "Passion and Delirium" chapter was just flowering into a full fledged distracting thought when his attention was forced back to the here and now.

 

"Patricia, I want to talk to you about your behavior recently." A muscle in Dennis's jaw jumped but he said nothing. They both knew that he was Dennis and he refused to be moved by the feigned confusion. "Your refusal to participate in group therapy really hurts the entire group. We're all in this together."

 

Unbroken silence stretched out. Mr. Glass never had a sharp word or comment for Dennis or the others, which they appreciated. David had drawn into himself, defensive and moody at this point, but it wasn't in his nature to lash out verbally.

 

"I understand that Hedwig is upset and that you're protecting him," she continued, her voice taking on that artificially warm tone. "I promise we'll be more careful in future sessions. But we need you here, with us, in the present for these sessions to work out. I need you to be civil and cooperative. You lost your book and I'm sorry I had to take it. I would hate to have to deny Victoria's upcoming visit as well, if you continue this way."

 

Dennis blinked in surprise. It'd been several weeks since the woman's visit. Given that they'd never let Orwell into the Light, he'd assumed she wasn't coming back. Patricia has made it sound like that was part of the deal for her return. There'd only been two other guests since then, neither remotely interesting, and he'd assumed that Dr. Staple had given up entirely on that front. He felt more than saw Mr. Glass turn to look at him.

 

"Given the way things are, I'd worry that turning her away might send the wrong message. It might give her the impression that she shouldn't come back again. You do know that I can't compel her, or anyone, to visit you. You should be thankful that anyone wants to visit you at all."

 

The memory of Casey's brief visit burned him. So she'd chosen to visit once and chose never to do so again. He didn't know why she had in the first place and he didn't know what he'd say if she came back, but he knew he wished to see her again. The urge to see anyone again who wasn't part of this nightmare institution, staff or patient, coiled within him.

 

"That would be a shame," Patricia murmured before he could stop her. He ground his teeth together and jerked his head from one side to the other, a brief struggle wherein he ejected her further from the Light.

 

"Hmmmm...." the doctor said. She looked down at her notebook to jot something down, but not before he caught her self satisfied grin. She continued to harp on him for another thirty minutes in which he remained unresponsive. But the concession by Patricia seemed to have satisfied her and there was no more threat of a cancelled visit.   


 

* * *

 

 

Dennis was in the Light when their guest was brought in, mostly unannounced. She looked timid and almost frightened of him as she carefully took the provided seat. He could see she gripped a book, smaller than the last, against herself as she sat.

 

So this was their reward for the ground they'd given up. Given that she couldn't seem to make up her mind between staring at him or his shoes, he began to regret their decision. He felt foolish for the faint hope of interesting conversation he realized he'd been harboring. This woman was just a frightened, impure nobody.

 

There was a long moment of silence between them. The idea of refusing the book and this woman's conversation appealed to him. The doctor needed to know they couldn't be bribed, that they were strong. Strong enough to resist all temptations. He could feel Patricia's wrath at not being given the Light but Hedwig shocked them all by knocking him from it.

 

"Did you bring me another story?" the boy rocked forward excitedly in his chair. He tucked his hands under legs that started to twitch with nervous energy.

 

"I- um... yes?" Victoria had drawn back at the sudden outburst but now looked down at the book in her lap. She seemed reluctant to hand it over. "Who- who is this? I mean, who am I talking to? I'd hoped-"

 

"I'm Hedwig. I really liked the stories in the last book!" He flung out his hand and made eager grabbing gestures towards the book. "Doctor Stapel took it away and I've been sooooooo bored. Did you include more stories about Ivan? I really liked Ivan. Gorillas are really cool although I also love giraffes, zebras, penguins. Etcetera."

 

Victoria turned back towards the doctor with a confused look. "You took away the book? What harm would them having a book be?"

 

Hedwig continued to make grabbing gestures though he didn't move from the seat. He didn't want to be in the Light when the doctor was around but he was worried Mr Dennis would forget to take the book. When the doctor spoke, he tried to ignore her. "It was a disciplinary concern, Ms Varati. Running an institution like this requires a lot of hard decisions, I don't expect you to really understand. If Kevin and his alters behave properly, they will have their book returned to them."

 

"I'm not Kevin!" Hedwig shouted, drawing Victoria's attention back to him. Dr Staple was lying and momentary rage had him forgetting his intention to shut her out. "And you said that we'd never ever see the book again. Which is why I really, really, really want the new book you have right there." He pointed, as if Victoria hadn't noticed where it sat in her lap.

 

"I was hoping I could talk to Orwell," the woman said in a gentle voice. Her long hair hung loose about her and she tucked several strands behind an ear. "Do you think maybe I could talk to Orwell first and then I could give you the book?"

 

"Uuuuuuuugh!" he groaned and let his hand drop. "Nooooooooo. Mr. Dennis doesn't like Orwell. He said we're definitely not supposed to let him into the Light. Do you want to talk to someone else? Maybe Kat?" A shudder suddenly rolled over him and he looked up with wide eyes.

 

"Pozhaluysta pomogite nam!" An imploring hand was outstretched. "Chelovek, zhenshchina, rebenok, oni ne govoryat za nas!" Victoria seemed so shaken by this sudden change that she actually stumbled up and out of the chair, taking several steps back.

 

Another rolling shudder and Hedwig cried out, "Wait, wait! I'm sorry, no come back!"  Both the doctor and Victoria were on their feet. "She was just talking in Russian, you don't have to be scared. I'm sorry, don't go away," carefully Victoria slid back into her chair.  "I'll be good and talk and answer any questions. Etcetera. Just don't go away. Or take the book."

 

Again Victoria turned to glare over her shoulder at the doctor, something unspoken seemed to pass between them. Turning back, she gingerly held out the book to Hedwig who joyfully snatched it up.

 

"I'm sorry to hear that Dennis doesn't like Orwell," she watched as Hedwig eagerly started flipping through the pages. "Do... do you know how Orwell is doing? Why he's not... not allowed into the Light?"

 

"He's ok. He's sitting in his chair," Hedwig answered carelessly. "Dennis doesn't like him because he's mean to us. He's the one who called us the Horde. He told Dr. Fletcher that and now everyone calls us that." He looked up suddenly. "We don't like that name."

 

"Oh... I... I see. I don't think he meant anything mean by it. Orwell can be a bit pedantic at times and I think he was just trying to make the analogy-"

 

"Does this have more stories with Jack Dean in it?" he'd reached the end of the book and was starting over from the beginning.

 

"Ah, it, um, that story wasn't really meant for you, Hedwig..." when he looked up at her, she was blushing rather brightly and staring at him.

 

"I can read all the words, I'm not dumb you know. And Jade helped me out with the parts I didn't understand," he looked side to side suddenly, sneaky like. "Don't tell Ms. Patricia. She doesn't like Jade and I don't think I'm supposed to have read the story... but Jade's been nicer to me so I don't hate her anymore. She wanted to read the book and she helped me read it and she's not as bad as Ms. Patricia says..."

 

Victoria sat there blinking several times. "I'm... happy to hear you and Jade are getting along better," she eventually managed.

 

"Do you want to talk to Jade? I can't let you talk to Orwell but Jade's more fun anyway!" Without waiting for her response, Hedwig shivered and then stilled. He hovered near the edges of the Light, watching as Jade flexed her hands.

 

"Hey," she said. Given how the lady had freaked out last time someone else took the Light, Jade tried to hold still and act calm. The woman's eyes were wide and her hand clutched up against her breast. Yeah, probably a good idea to go nice and slow.

 

"Hey. Um. Thanks for the book and for visiting us," The woman nodded her head very slowly. "I know you like Orwell." The nodding stopped abruptly. "I mean, I know you guys are friends! We don't, you know, spy on each other. Or at least we didn't use to..." The shifting presence of one of the Horde always lurked these days at the edges of the Light though. She hurried to continue before Dennis could take offense.

 

"So I don't, you know, actually know what you two talked about when you hung out." That earned her single, stiff nod. Jade almost felt sorry for the woman. She knew Orwell well enough to be certain that they had only just friends. That they would only have ever just been friends. But if the torch this lady carried for him kept bringing her back she certainly wasn't going to be the one to spoil that. "Your visit was a real surprise. But, ah, a good one! We ALL appreciate, you know, you coming here and thinking of us and bringing us books and stuff.  I'm sure he'll be given some time soon. So, um, don't let Dennis get you down. I try not to." She flashed a smile at their guest and felt an angry presence circling the Light. She was definitely pushing her luck.

 

"Is... is he ok? He's not being... hurt? Or anything?" The woman now rested a hand at her throat. She was just a pearl necklace away from the usual shock and misunderstanding that people hand towards them. It took actual effort not to roll her eyes.  Orwell couldn't really be hurt the way this woman was clearly imagining it, but Jade thought back to the pages torn from the book and realized she might not be entirely incorrect.

 

"Uh- no. No one can hurt Orwell, don't worry. Except maybe the doctor." Jade exchanged a quick glare with the silent bitch at the back of the room. "He's just sitting in his chair till he figures out how to get along with everyone. The- the three are really not that bad, once you get to know them." There, Jade hoped that earned her some brownie points. Saying nice things about the Horde in front of the doctor was something they'd certainly been coached to do.

 

"Can... can he hear me?" she asked in such a desperate tone. Jade shook her head. How had stick-in-the-mud Orwell managed to hook himself such an ardent fan?  "Can... can the others hear me?" Slowly Jade nodded.

 

"It sort of depends, you know? Hedwig has a lot of say about who can stand in the Light and who can stand close enough to, you know, follow what's happening." She didn't add that it was fucking creepy, to have constant shadowy watchers. The Horde always seemed to hover so close to each other when they stood in the Light and she didn't understand how they could stand it.  Back when Barry had been in charge everyone had been polite enough to leave you the hell alone when it was your turn.

 

"Can they hear your thoughts?" The doctor asked from the back of the room. Jade started, surprised to have the doctor actually inject herself in the conversation.

 

"What? No way, though they can see and hear every-" The force with which Jade was ejected from the Light actually caused them to jerk forward and half fall out of the chair. The doctor was on her feet immediately but Victoria just leaned forward to place a concerned hand on their shoulder. The book tumbled to the floor, momentarily forgotten.

 

Dennis drew a deep breath and slowly stood up. Victoria snatched her hand back but remained seated as the guards hustled into the room. They circled him, guns pointed. His open hands were slowly raised though his expression made it clear how ridiculous he found this exercise.  This wasn't exactly how he would have chosen to end their meeting but perhaps it was for the best. The guns would no doubt frighten their guest away from bothering or tempting them again.

 

"Victoria, why don't-" Dr Staple stepped forward and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. It was quickly brushed off and Victoria turned in her seat to stare back up at the doctor.

 

"No no, it's fine. We- We're all just having a discussion. I certainly don't feel threatened," the watery note to her voice made that statement extremely suspect. "I came all the way out here, I'd like to continue chatting, if that's all right. She- He- um... " Victoria fluttered a hand in the now stone still Dennis's direction. "It was just a little stumble. Everything's fine. Right?" She turned back towards Dennis with a strangely imploring expression. "Right?"

 

That Jade had broken the rules and shared details about the system with the doctor was not good. This was how things fell apart. How chaos would creep in. As he toyed with the idea of holding to silence starting immediately versus actively scaring her away, he felt himself being pushed from the Light for a second time that day. Hedwig started nodding in the vigorous way a child does, attempting to convince all the adults in the room of his sincerity. One of the guards muttered something under his breath and shifted his grip on the gun.

 

Eventually the guards were sent away and the doctor bid Hedwig to take his seat again. Victoria watched him, lower lip caught between her teeth.  One long section of hair had been pulled forward and she fidgeted with it, wrapping it around her fingers. "Thank you for letting me talk to Jade," she offered when he was settled.

 

Though he nodded mutely, Hedwig knew Jade was going to be in a lot of trouble now. They'd agreed to not talk about such things in front of the doctor or answer any of her questions. How could Jade forget? Maybe Ms. Patricia was right about her being stupid... Everyone was allowed to talk about what they used to do and maybe about how they felt, but never about how the Light worked. And never ever about the Beast.

 

Victoria slipped off her chair for a second. Crouching down, she retrieved the book from the floor and handed it to him again with a warm smile. He thanked her profusely and they returned to chatting about what he'd read in the first book.  They talked about zoo animals and his understanding of other countries. When it became clear she was trying to suss out the extent of his education he spoke of Ms. Patricia and how she'd been teaching him some things. Ms Patricia even spoke briefly, but Hedwig jealously guarded his position in the Light. The three of them agreed he knew his basic arithmetic but his understanding of decimals was a little weak. Victoria promised that if she brought another book she'd include some basic mathematics worksheets in it.

 

Wrapping his arms around the current book, Hedwig hugged it to his chest and rocked back and forth a bit. It seemed like almost an afterthought when he asked, "Did you put in more stories by Foul-cult?" This was something he knew Mr. Dennis had enjoyed and he hoped if she said yes he'd be a little less angry. At the moment he seemed quite angry.

 

Victoria cocked her head in confusion but then broke into a delighted smile. "You enjoyed Michel Foucault's work?" Her tone was only slightly disbelieving as she emphasized the French pronunciation of his name. The 'fu-ko' sounding almost like the cooing of a small bird.

 

Hedwig snorted and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Noooooooo. Duh!" He found the name and idea so absurd, and therefor amusing, that Victoria looked slightly taken aback. "Mr. Dennis liked it though," he eventually added after his giggles had subsided.

 

The fact seemed to give her a pause and Hedwig could see the doctor's pen move, making a note. He didn't like that. He didn't want the doctor to know anything about him or the others. Leaning in he lowered his voice.

 

"He wanted me to ask why you included it and he wants to read more stuff like that. What does-"

 

"No whispering, Hedwig," Dr. Staple quickly interjected. "We talked about this. No whispering. What are you asking Ms. Varati?"

 

"It's nothing," Victoria quickly offered before Hedwig could speak. "Just making fun of those silly French names, you know how kids are."  She was frowning slightly, though the doctor couldn't see, and she turned her head to the side. "I think the foreignness that even names alone can be imbued with is a terrible distancing technique being put in place by society against ideas that many are afraid to confront. We really need to approach the issue at its core, which I believe to be best done in the education of today's youth. The best approach-"

 

"Thank you, Ms. Varati, please," Putting her pen down, Dr. Staple rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Don't let me distract you. This session is for you and Kevin to talk. Please continue."

 

"I'm not Kevin," Hedwig muttered under his breath again. He watched as Victoria smiled slightly, first to herself and then more encouragingly at him.

 

"I know his name is quite funny, but don't let that put you off. I've always found his work fascinating and extremely thought provoking. And no matter where you might be or how you might be, it’s always fun to think. Sometimes pursuing new ideas can be hard, but we should always strive to broaden our minds. If you, or anyone else, has any questions about- about how to pronounce things... well, I bet... "

 

"You could talk to Mr. Price about it," the doctor offered helpfully from the back.

 

Victoria's eyebrows rose dramatically at the suggestion but she did seem to ponder it. A slow nod was eventually offered, "Yes... actually, from what I've read I imagine Mr. Price would be quite familiar with such things. He seems like a very educated man. Quite brilliant. There was some surfacing of Mr. Price's published work after your-" Dr. Staple cleared her throat and Victoria stumbled. "Right. Well. You should definitely talk to him."

 

Hedwig watched their guest with a look of intense concentration. He could feel Mr Dennis also watching and considered giving the Light to him. But Hedwig had been so bored for so long. The idea of missing out on this brief chance to interact with the outside world was beyond his degree of self control. Victoria smiled at him again.

 

The two watched each other for a long moment, both caught up in their own thoughts. Hedwig almost wondered if they were getting into a staring competition when he noticed her eyes were watery and she blinked rapidly, breaking eye contact to look somewhere else in the blank room that they were kept in. The doctor noticed this as well and there was a click of a pen before she tucked it away.  This time when she stood Victoria did as well.

 

Though she started to raise her hand, it didn't get very far before Victoria let it drop back to her side. "It was very nice to talk to you, Hedwig, and... and the others. I hope Orwell will be allowed some time in the Light soon. Enjoy the book," she added as the doctor hustled her out of the room. She paused, hand gripping the doorframe, and added. "There's some fun stories about a tortoise and a friend of his. I think... if you found the pronunciation funny, you might enjoy those stories. They're silly too." And with that, as well as a firm hand on the shoulder, Victoria was whisked away and the room once again empty.

 

With a careless shrug, Hedwig got up and moved over to the bed. Being the first one to explore the book was rather exciting and he settled in for a long read. He'd remembered seeing some pictures in this one, which he quickly hunted down. There, indeed, was a strange picture of repeating black and white crabs. He furrowed his brow and looked to the accompanying text.  " _Tortoise: Good day, Mr. A_ " it began.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am aiming to post once a week though next chapter will go up Wed the 24th due to travel. Have more written but am trying to pace myself. Hopefully I'll finish before the next movie comes out...


	3. The Family Price

They sat there, just staring at each other for quite some time. Patricia narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. It was unclear if this was some sort of dominance challenge or just the natural awkwardness two individuals in a psychiatric institution would feel, placed alone together in a room. Mr. Glass raised his chin ever so slightly and Patricia responded with an arched eyebrow. 

 

What sort of opening move does one make in such a situation? Do the lab rats rebel, attempting to thwart the researcher's plans? Ignore what is beyond their control and embrace a briefly granted moment of humanity? Make a threat to head off any unwanted behavior? Patricia flicked her gazed up and down the seated man and allowed herself to smirk. This encounter certainly presented problems, but unwanted behavior wouldn't be one of them.

 

"I would hate to threaten any of your visitor privileges, Patricia is it?" Mr. Glass drawled. "So I'll keep this simple and ask how your day was..." She let out of a soft laugh, raising a hand in a dismissive gesture.

 

"Thoughtful, but unnecessary, Mr. Glass," she glanced at him from under her lashes. "I'm not here under duress. Nor am I currently medicated. I do hope the same could be said for you?" She could see that he appreciated the use of his name. He'd introduced himself as such back during that first group therapy session and the doctor had been quick to correct him. Knowing that the woman preferred his 'real name' over the one he'd chosen for himself was reason enough to always be mindful how they addressed him. 

 

"Sound of mind, fully sober, and I don't believe I've anywhere better to be at the moment." He paused and steepled his fingers. "I'm curious if you know why we've been granted this... little chit chat?"

 

"I have a rather good idea as to why, yes," she answered. "A minor misunderstanding by Dr. Staple as she eavesdropped on a conversation of mine. No doubt today's conversation will also result in some further misunderstandings, isn't that right Doctor?" The last bit was directed towards one of the many cameras that peered at them from it's purch up in a corner. Closing her eyes briefly, Patricia felt that familiar intense longing for the Beast. She knew he could crawl right up there and rip the damn thing down. She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, opening her eyes and smiling.  Mr. Glass continued to watch her closely.

 

"A... misunderstanding?" He adjusted how he sat ever so slightly and there was a tension to his posture. "What was the nature of this misunderstanding, if I may ask?"

 

It took Patricia a moment before her eyes widened and she laughed again. "Oh no no, don't worry yourself, sir." She gave him a coy smile again and fluttered her hand dismissively. "Nothing of that nature. You're not really my type. No, it was the suggestion that you might indulge in a ridiculous conversation. Idle ramblings, meeting of minds, that sort of nonsense."

 

Mr. Glass had relaxed when Patricia made her feelings clear but seemed more intrigued than she'd liked at the answer. "That actually sounds quite pleasant. What sort of conversations? You know, she's put David and I together in this room more than once already." Patricia smirked at the thought of it. "They weren't very productive, as you may have guessed. She stopped a while ago, I just assumed this was stage two of some trial." 

 

Dennis didn't like that, Patricia could tell. She'd assumed they were here because of Hedwig and Victoria's conversation.  A gentle feeling of irritation washed over her again, still nursing bitter feelings at being denied the opportunity to talk to their visitor. The idea that this was specifically another phase of their so called 'treatment' changed things. Patricia was happy to step out of the Light as Dennis took her place. 

 

"That seems likely," Dennis said, uncrossing his legs and sitting up a little straighter. "More likely, in fact. Forget I said anything." He ran his hands over the pockets of his patient uniform, wishing he had his glasses but knowing they'd been left on the bedside table.

 

"So what, we're just going to sit here in silence?" The man's voice held more amusement than Dennis would have wanted. "You've made it clear that you can go days without speaking, but I personally enjoy a little conversation." Pausing, the man seemed to hesitated for a moment. "My mother. She visits as often as she can but they won't let her in to see me more than once a week. How often does your friend visit?"

 

"She's not my friend," Dennis snapped, crossing his arms. "She's actually quite a dear and brings us the most charming books," Patricia amended and Dennis squeezed his eyes shut. Clenching his jaw, he lowered his head in frustration. She knew he hated it when she interrupted his time in the Light. It was worse than flat out seizing it, he'd often raged. Head still lowered, their mouth moved again. "Dennis found the philosophy she included quite interesting and Victoria thought you'd be a-" With a violent shake of his head, Dennis asserted control and forced Patricia far away from the Light. Looking up he found Mr. Glass still watching them. No fear or confusion or sympathy there, just calm assessment. The lack of judgement comforted Dennis, though he'd never admit it. 

 

"What sort of philosophy?  It's been a while but I did take classes in university. Was a fan of Camus back in the day," tipping his head to the side Mr. Glass actually smiled. "Once wrote a paper comparing Batman's The Brave & the Bold to Camu's Nuptials for a class..." Still grinning, he was lost for a moment in the memory of it. The reference to university, though innocent, cut and Dennis felt an eye twitch. Orwell and Bernice had in a sense 'owned' the time they'd spent there and now most things related it reminded Dennis of the insufferable pair.

 

"It's nothing," Dennis repeated through gritted teeth. "I don't want to talk about it."

 

"Then what do you want to talk about, Dennis? The Beast?" Mr. Glass raised his eyebrows and gestured. "While I don't want to turn this into one of those jokes of a 'therapy' session, I'm actually very curious to hear more about the Beast. I know you don't want to speak in front of the doctor, I respect the commitment and completely understand if you have nothing to say. But I did want to at least say this. I had been waiting to show the world we exist and he beat me too it. Most impressive. I'd shake his hand if I could."

 

Dennis jerked his head to the side and scowled. He wanted to ignore the flattery. They'd all agreed not to talk about the Beast with the doctor. He wanted to go back to the blank white room. He wanted to know more what Mr. Glass meant. "We?" he couldn't resist asking. "What do you mean 'we'? You're... you're not like me. Not like us. Not like him. The Beast."

 

"You're right, of course," Mr. Glass nodded his head. "I'm not like you. There's only one of me and I'm in control all the time. And I'm not strong or fast like the Beast. I break easily." He leaned in, hands bracing on the blanket draped over his lap. "But I'm not like them either. I am more. I have taken the pit of despair life gave me and inverted it. I am more than them."

 

"Pure," Dennis whispered, unable to stop himself from nodding slowly.

 

"Is that what you call us?" Leaning back, he laced his fingers behind his head and laughed. "I like it! The Pure. I was thinking more superheroes and villains. It's what I've been saying this whole time. Of course, no one listened when it was just me." Snapping back to reality, Dennis frowned at this while Mr. Glass continued. "But with you... The Beast. They couldn't deny it. And what David did when he fought you. They couldn't deny that either. Now they know that we're real."

 

"Except they've trapped us in here," Dennis pointed out. It was clear this man shared their understanding, possibly even vision, but he questioned his common sense. "They have us and you claim they know about us. How do you think that's going to turn out?"

 

"For us, or for them?" Mr Glass asked, a smile playing across his lips as the door was unbolted and the guards shuffled in. It was unclear if their allotted time was simply up or if it was in  reaction to their discussion, but they were quickly hustled out. Dennis shot a parting look towards Mr. Glass, catching the man's eye, before they were packed off to their own rooms.

 

* * *

 

"Ms Varati?" Victoria flinched as she bumped her head sharply against the desk and moved with more care as she backed the rest of the way out from under it. With one hand gingerly feeling the top of her head, she pushed herself up.

 

"Yes?" she smiled at the neatly dressed older woman standing across the desk from her.

 

"Victoria Varati?" The woman queried again, looking her up and down. Victoria felt herself blush though she knew of no reason why she should. The look was neutral and assessing, nothing to take offense at. 

 

"Um, yes?" The last time someone had addressed her like that, it had been Dr. Staple seeking her out for her research project. And before that it'd been a cop coming by to ask questions about Orwell. "I- Can I help you something?" A bad feeling lodged in her gut and she prayed it was just some nosey community board member. 

 

"I was hoping to talk to you. I'd like to ask you some questions." Victoria's eyes fluttered closed and the bad feeling intensified as the woman continued. "I came here today to verify for myself you're not one of those... admirers of my son. And if you don't mind, I'd like to know why you visited him."

 

Unable to help herself, Victoria pressed her fingers against both eyes and counted to five. Yes, this was about as bad as she worried it would be. "I- I- Of course. I'd be happy to talk to you. Let me just... find someone to cover the desk for a moment." Reluctantly, she shuffled down a ways to where Albert worked and explained she needed to step out for a moment. It was good he stopped her early and helpfully tried to shoo her away, the degree of panic she felt rising within her would have definitely resulted in saying something worth regretting.

 

With a gesture, she lead the fashionable old woman into one of the two A/V rooms and shut the door. Victoria gnawed on her lower lip, wondering how she was going to explain to this woman a series of actions she barely understood undertaking herself.  She'd visited both Orwell and Elijah Price just the other day and had still been trying to process everything.

 

"Well?" she was asked when it became clear Victoria had nothing to start with out of the gate. Even with the prompting, it took Victoria nearly a minute to muster up enough of of an answer to start speaking.

 

"I really hope you don't mind, and I hope it's not too strange. It's just that I've been visiting a friend of mine lately. Well, trying to visit him. Though I've not really had the chance to talk to him, though I've talked to other people. And sometimes it's like I'm seeing him. I mean, it is him," here she gestured, as if indicating to an invisible Orwell standing before them. "I am seeing him, but it's not him."  

 

At this point Victoria noticed the woman drawing back slightly, a tension around her eyes. Rather than pause to regroup, Victoria doubled down and hurried on. "No no, I'm not crazy. Though I'm sure it sounds crazy and I have been visiting an insane asylum rather frequently in the recent past..." she gave herself a shake and tried to get to the point. "Orwell is a patient at the Reynolds Hospital. Where Mr. Gl- Mr. Price is. Most of the time Orwell is actually Dennis. It came to my attention that Dennis might enjoy a companion to have philosophical discussions with and Mr- you son's name came up. And I thought that if Orwell, rather Dennis, was talking to him that it might help if he knew some of the things Dennis had been reading recently. And I'll admit, after the whole thing with the- the- after the events this fall, I'd read some of your son's articles and found them quite fascinating and thought maybe I'd visit him as well. Patricia and everyone seemed to appreciate my visits and she doesn't really even know me so I thought maybe also Mr- your son might enjoy a visitor as well...."

 

As Victoria let herself finally come to a slow verbal halt, the woman arched an eyebrow. "I see," she said and they both sat quiet for a moment. Face burning, Victoria kept her gaze fixed on the floor.

 

"I see," Mrs. Price repeated, her tone softening this time.  "He showed me the book, it was quite lovely. He said you made it?" Mutely, Victoria gave a nod. "Quite ingenious, that. They've had the one item limit for a while now and it's always so hard to decide which comic to bring him."

 

"It's such a ridiculous rule!" Victoria raised her head, invigorated by the idea of fighting for literature. "I reviewed the Patient Self-determination Act and various prison prohibited item lists recently and I really don't think that's ethical treatment. Why, I believe if we were to try and make a legal battle out of it, we might be able to overturn the rule." She was surprised to see the older woman sadly shake her head.

 

"It warms my heart to hear you speak so, but I don't think you understand what is going on here." She reached up and smoothed the beautiful silk scarf knotted around her neck. "When Elijah was transferred there three years ago, I of course looked into the institution.  There's something going on with them. Something that I think puts them just a little above the law. I tried to raise similar arguments and more but the institute has a way of shutting down such inquiries. I've even been threatened, in a roundabout way, when they found out what I was up to."

 

Victoria scrubbed her eyes again and this time groaned. "No, please, don't tell me that... I was... Ugh.... " Mrs Price was clearly didn’t know what to think as Victoria huffed out of the room with a promise she'd be just a moment. And indeed, a moment later she hurried back, a folder gripped in her hand. She passed it over as she closed the door behind herself and took a seat. "I had really hoped not to worry too much about this... I mean, I suspected it might not be good but I had been able to convince myself that it was just a really, really weird series of coincidences." With another groan, she let her head fall back. "I'm a terrible person!"

 

Mrs. Price looked up from the documents she'd been flipping through. "What are you talking about? These are math papers?" she asked in confusion.

 

"Biomathmatics, actually. They're quite evasive in what they're talking about with the models. Recognize the author? Third author that is."

 

"Ellie Staple," the older woman breathed before she began to flip through the pages more slowly.  As she read, Victoria eventually broke down and explained the situation in detail to her. The truth was, she'd already started to question the facility. Research was in her bones so it'd been natural to spend a totally reasonable amount of effort to look into this Dr. Staple woman. The fact that no basic queries had yielded results hadn't deterred her. Or the fact that she'd actually spent an hour going through old government RFPs involving the Reynolds Hospital and another combing through the directory of licensed psychiatrists of America. The list for just Pennsylvania had only taken ten minutes and there was no 'Ellie' on it, Staple or otherwise.  A solid half day of digging was totally normal, she tried to reassure Ms Price, since that's how long it'd taken to assemble any sort of picture about the woman.

 

The folder contained not just Ellie's early thesis papers or things she'd co-published a decade earlier. The were papers about cutting edge research in digital sensors from the medical devices industry. Government proposals filled with acronyms and military ranks next to half the names. Invoice orders involving some manufacturer in China.  When Mrs. Price stared at her with a disturbed- but not disbelieving- expression, Victoria admitted the additional leg of research had taken a bit longer. "But after I saw the original models I was too disturbed to not keep digging..."

 

"What exactly are you saying?" the older woman carefully asked, placing the closed folder atop the desk.

 

* * *

 

 

Felicia had alerted the child the moment she understood what she'd been looking at, who in turned summoned the woman. Now she sat, curled up in the bed with lights low, running her fingers over the text and speaking in barely a whisper.

 

"It's very hard to understand," she murmured softly in Spanish and went back to the beginning of the paragraph, brow furrowed. "Whoever wrote this... It's almost nonsense. I'm sorry I bothered you both about it. She must have copied the wrong text..."

 

"Nonsense, my dear," Patricia said, Felicia's lips forming the foreign words. "You did the right thing. While Victoria certainly can get a little confused in conversation I've yet to find a flaw in any of the material she's provided us. Please, read more."

 

Gulping, Felicia nodded her head. Though she stood in the Light, the hovering presence of both the boy and the woman unnerved her. The prickle of perspiration tickled the back of her neck and she hoped they didn't notice. Clearing her throat, she moved her finger along the page as she carefully read the text aloud. 

 

"El entrenamiento de redes neuronales se basa en nuestra capacidad para encontrar 'buenos' minimizadores de funciones de pérdida altamente no convexas. Es bien sabido que ciertos diseños de arquitectura de red producen funciones de pérdida que se entrenan más fácilmente, y los parámetros de entrenamiento bien elegidos producen minimizadores que generalizan mejor." The language was dry and stilted, the concepts more unfamiliar than any particular word choice though the occasional untranslated word or phrase popped up. As she read from the page directly, speaking under her breath, she knew the others understood her. As long as she was in the Light, spoken Spanish flowed naturally for them just as English made sense to her when someone else took the Light. There was comfort to be had in the fact that the written form still seemed incomprehensible to them. 

 

She'd worked her way through two pages before taking a break. Sliding off the bed, she went to their sink and took a sip of water. "Is any of that making sense to you?" Patricia whispered as Felicia stared at herself in the mirror. She shook her head. It was just the two of them at this point, the boy having lost interest and faded away. Felicia felt her lips and tongue move in unfamiliar ways as other woman made a tsking sound. "It does strike you as academic though, yes?" Felicia nodded to her reflection.

 

"I think..." Though they'd been whispering already, Felicia dropped her voice even further to a nearly inaudible subvocalization. "I think your friend ran a paper through some sort of translator. A not very good one. But I don't understand why, other than... do you really think she wrote this?" 

 

For all the recklessly phrased Spanish that filled pages of the book, there had been one very clear and intentional line that caused her to alert her watchers. 'El autor de este trabajo es el médico con pelo rojo' had been printed on it's own at the start of the section. A roundabout but very clear message. Dr. Staple has written whatever it was they were reading. 

 

"Yes, and I've no doubt that it'd be extremely interesting if we could just understand it." Again that tsking sound. Felicia fought the urge to rub her lips. "I don't know if this is even going to work... Orwell? Orwell, can you hear me?" Felicia gripped the edge of the sink as the usual unpleasant feeling swept over her. Someone, presumably Orwell, had tried to take the Light but she'd maintained her position. "Now now, Orwell, don't be difficult," Patricia continued. "Be a dear and help with something your little friend gave us. If you're good, perhaps you can talk to her next time?"

 

A trickle of sweat ran down Felicia's neck and she shivered. How she missed the days when Barry had been in charge. Everyone had been left alone, there was none of this hovering, this crowding and fighting. Looking at her hand, she flexed it and felt a faint dissonant echo up her arm. They weren't meant to live this way.

 

"Felicia, if you please." The tone wasn't really a request. She shuffled back to the bed and picked up the book. At first she thought Orwell would be uncooperative, silently wishing him to be so, since she read half a page uninterrupted. Eventually though, mid sentence, her own voice caught and a deeper one rolled out, asking her to start from the beginning. Swallowing thickly, she did so and read the entire paper through, stopping only twice more for water. When she reached the end, she scanned ahead and was pleased to see Carlos Ruiz Zafón's name attached to the next piece. 

 

Her finger had just started to trace the next title when she seized up and the book tumbled from her hands. The struggle did not resolve itself immediately and twice their head snapped back sharply against the wall. When Patricia finally established herself in the Light, she gingerly reached up and touched the back of her scalp. Finding no blood, she calmly reached forward to retrieve the book and settled herself more comfortably on the bed. 

 

"Tell me, Orwell," she murmured, eyes closing. "What did you make of that?" Lacking an immediate response, she pursed her lips. "Don't be sullen. I'm giving a you an opportunity here. Throw it away and I promise it will be a long, long time before you see the Light again."

 

His response was almost a snarl and Patricia had to struggle to keep their volume down. "I refuse to ally myself with the Horde. Better to be cast from the Light than to stand in it, stained and united by such vile company. I refuse to serve the Beast." Patricia's lashes fluttered as she rolled her eyes behind closed lids. Unlike Dennis, the man didn't send her flying off into a rage though she agreed his intransigence taxed her patience. "It's clear this doctor is as intent as you to free the Beast. Are you so foolish, woman, to embrace your so called savior at even the destruction of yourself?"

 

The disdain in Orwell's voice was momentarily forgiven as Patricia opened her eyes and sat up straighter. "What?" She opened the book and flipped again to the section. Though the text remained unintelligible to her, she was able to recall snippets of Felicia's voice by tracing the text.

 

"You may view yourself as merely an aberrant fluctuation within a fractured mind, but I do not!" Orwell spoke with such passion that it was impossible to keep him quiet. "I am a person, my own person, sound of mind and strong enough to resist you, Horde. The threat of this treatment does not intimidate me. Threaten me all you want, I will not allow the fear of eradication to-"

 

"Now, Orwell," she quickly injected, "Calm yourself for a moment. Eradication? Destruction? What are you talking about?" From Felicia's repeated recitation of the text, Patricia had only been able to really extract something about models and weights and something called regression functions. That neurological concepts had been referenced here and there made sense, Dr. Staple was a psychologist after all, but the specifics were lost in the density of the text alone. Orwell refused to respond or was perhaps calming himself for a while, leaving Patricia to silently fidget with one of the several ribbons bookmark Victoria had taken to including.  She found it charming that the woman had affixed so many.

 

"You wish the Beast to emerge," Orwell stated eventually. "You'll destroy us all to see him stand forever in the Light."

 

With a frown, Patricia shook her head ever so slightly. "No, no. It's like you're willfully misunderstanding when we try to explain this to you... The Beast is one of us, but more. But still, one of us. He'll help us, help Kevin. Not destroy us." She could feel Orwell reach for the Light so hesitantly, so reluctantly, that she allowed it. Dennis would have a fit but thankfully he was sound asleep for the moment.

 

Carefully Orwell shifted on the bed and reached over to the night stand table. His hand hovered above the two pairs of glasses before selected the frames carrying his prescription. They felt strange, resting on the bridge of his nose.  It'd been so long. In fact, it was his first time fully in the Light since their apprehension. The back of his head ached from where Patricia and Felicia's struggled had collided with the wall.

 

He longed to turn the book over in his hand, he'd always admired Victoria's work and would have recognized it even if he hadn't been told. Instead he flipped forward a page and ran a finger over the line that had so clearly struck him. "Secuestro neurológico mediante estimulación óptica," he breathed, though the phrase read as familiarly to him as it did Patricia.  Clearing his throat, he gently stroked the page. "If you truly don't wish the destruction of us all, than you should fear what this paper suggests. Just as Prithviraj was to be reinstated as a Ghurid vassal before his death, so does this promise 'treatment and rehabilitation' ahead of what can only be our eradication. This paper speaks about mapping out pathways in the mind, identifying them, inducing them, suppressing them. Controlling them."

 

There was no immediate response from the Horde.

 

* * *

 

"What did you mean.... back, at the library, when you asked if I was one of your son's 'admirers'?" Victoria clutched the now empty glass of wine. It in no way had helped her feel less out of place, seated amongst the Philadelphia elite at the upscale dinner Mrs. Price had picked for them. While the older woman blended in beautifully with her fashionable tweed jacket, Victoria had come straight from work with her simple sweater and jeans. She knew no one was staring, but she couldn't help but continuously glance around at the unfamiliar crowd.

 

Mrs. Price patted her lips neatly with a napkin before picking up her own glass. "There's a collection of individuals out there who find themselves drawn to people like my son. They can be quite... fervent in their admiration of him. And mistaken. Elijah didn't hurt those people because he enjoyed it. He believed it was a necessary evil in pursuit of a greater good." She took a sip of wine, holding Victoria's gaze. "My son is not a serial killer. He is no Joe Carroll. He regrets the deaths that he caused."

 

Pinned in place by the older woman's stare, Victoria could only imagine the terrible different ways this conversation could go if she dared open her mouth. The firm knowledge that one does not tell a mother her only son is a murderous psychopath was her only guiding light. Her eyes darted to the glass in hand, still empty. Carefully she pantomimed taking a sip as her mind raced. 

 

Her meeting with Elijah had been first that morning and very enlightening. The man was quick and insightful and actually quite delightful to talk to, assuming one could overlook where he was and why he was there. He'd also been quite open and honest and after hearing him speak about himself, David, and Dennis, she severely doubted he had any regrets beyond his capture.

 

"Oh?" she eventually managed and immediately regretted the inflection in the response. 

 

"Indeed," the woman stated, firmly. "I have been visiting him every week for the 15 years he has been housed at various institutions. He's a good man. He has battled demons than most people couldn't even understand. That takes a toll on a person. But he's not a serial killer. He's a good person and he should not be trapped in there with that mad woman."

 

At this, Victoria could finally nod.  It took effort to restrain herself from commenting on several of the other assertions made, but she managed to find neutral ground. "I agree, I have every reason to believe Dr. Staple intends to perform unethical research on her patients, if she has not been doing so already." A thought occurred to her and she paled. Leaning forward she whispered, "Has she already started, do you think?"

 

It had, once again, been Dennis who greeted her last visit.  He hadn't looked experimented on, but how could she know? The intensity of the man frightened her, of all them so far he most reminded her of Orwell but far more cold and distant.  Their conversation had been brief but not as terrible as she'd feared. His interest in Hofstadter's works and gratitude, though reluctant, for the philosophy she'd been including had given her a thrill.  She still didn't understand if he appreciated or had even planned on being replaced by Patricia for the majority of the visit however. Victoria wasn't sure if she even appreciated the replacement. While the female ‘personality’ was polite and easy enough to talk to, there was a tension and intensity to her that made Victoria uneasy. That, and the fact that Dr. Staple had to remind Patricia twice of the no touching rule due to the woman's constant casual brushes.

 

Mrs. Price had assumed a far off look at the question, presumably reviewing the many years of her son's confinement. "I... I don't think so. But Elijah did say that they'd started changing up the routine this month. Mr. Dunn and Mr. Crumb have been there for two months now, perhaps they've adjusted and..." She spread her hands.

 

Fidgeting with her wine glass, twirling the stem between thumb and forefinger, Victoria let the ominous statement hang for probably too long. "We'll just need to write to congress. That's what one does, right? And... I'm sure there's communities of people who-"

 

"Communities like the ones who admire my son?" Mrs. Price interjected. "Communities like the one that champions Carroll? So far I've found that if you try to get attention to what's going on, you're only going to attract the wrong sort." She sipped again, finishing her glass. "Has Mr. Crumb been getting... other visitors? Fans?" Victoria felt herself flush with a confusing mixture of emotions. Jealousy certainly shouldn't have been one of them. She latched onto the curiosity that she felt.

 

"I- I don't know. That's an excellent question, I'll ask next time." She nodded to herself and avoided thinking about the number and frequency of visits she'd been piling up. "But, I'm sorry to ask again, but you're absolutely sure I shouldn't confront Dr. Staple with what I've found?" The look Mrs. Price gave her wasn't exactly withering but Victoria still felt the urge to curl slightly in on herself. 

 

"Yes." Mrs. Price signaled for the check.

 

* * *

 

 

"Well," Mr. Glass said, folding his hands neatly in his lap. "What should we talk about today?"

 

Hedwig just made a whining noise in the back of his throat and tugged at the strap holding the helmet in place. "Please don't touch the devices for the duration of the session," a technician's voice cracked over the speaker in the room. 

 

"I don't like it," he said for possibly the fourth time. Mr. Glass watched the man who currently had the mind of a child squirm in his seat. He'd much rather have had the company of Patricia, or better yet Dennis, rather than this under developed youth. Despite the fact that his love of comics was shared by millions of children across the world, Mr. Glass always had difficulty interacting with them. One could never trust a child. 

 

With a dramatic sigh, Hedwig flopped his arms out onto the desk and slumped in his chair. "This is dumb," he said. Mr. Glass nodded in agreement.

 

"At least none of the probes are inside you," the older man pointed out. "Some of the times, when my bones break, they have to put pins in there to re-enforce things. There was one time that the break was so bad I could actually see some of the old pins in the bits that poked out." The idea of such a gorey scenario seemed to capture his companion's interest. Hedwig pulled himself together a bit and leaned forward.

 

"I was sick one time when I had to go back for an adjustment," Mr. Glass continued. "They didn't think they could safely put me under so in the end they just gave me a local anesthetic and peeled back the meat to look at it. I was awake the whole time."

 

Now grinning, Hedwig let out a nervous laugh. "That sounds cool," he said, his lisp rather noticeable. "Did you watch?" There was awe and fascination in the question.

 

"Yes," Mr. Glass lied before smiling. "I felt like Superman, not able to even feel the pain." Afterwards the pain had come, like it always did. He'd soaked in it for weeks. It had been the worst fall of his 20s and the first time he'd never fully recovered. Idly he stroked the elastic strap that held his own mesh helmet in place and wondered what sort of brain readings the doctor would collect from that wandering memory. 

 

"When Casey shot us," Hedwig whispered, leaning in closer, "It hurt a lot. We didn't, you know, really get hurt but it hurt. A lot." He rolled his eyes dramatically. "A lot. But then it stopped hurting and we were fine and it was so cool." He nodded to himself and sat back in his chair. "So cool..."

 

"What about when David fought you- or rather, the Beast?" Mr Glass asked. He was surprised at how open this Hedwig was with details. Both Dennis and Patricia had been much more guarded. Absently he considered the notion that just because Hedwig was willing to talk, he shouldn't exploit the situation. It was one of those moral concepts that he understood and intentionally put aside. It wasn't his fault that Hedwig had a loose tongue. Children, you just could never trust them to behave properly. 

 

"Noooo," Hedwig drawled. "By that point the Beast was way stronger. We didn't feel as much then." He absently looked about the room, dragging the trailing cables attached to his helmet back and forth across the floor. "I bet the Beast could break out of here, no problem." He sighed heavily. "I wish he'd come back... But I'm not supposed to talk about him!" Forgotten responsibilities now remembered, he looked nervous and uncomfortable. 

 

Nodding, Mr. Glass drummed his fingers on the table. To press the issue now would likely put the Horde against him. He decided to try and continue cultivating a camaraderie with them instead of pursuing the far more interesting issue of the Beast. 

 

"Is there something else you'd like to talk about?" He asked again. "Last time Dennis and I talked about consciousness and Descartes, although they didn't make us wear helmets that time." This was the fourth session with just the two of them in the room together and the first with the doctor's new accessories. 

 

Hedwig expressed himself with a grunt and resumed his slumped position. For the first time in a while, Mr. Glass keenly felt his predicament of being trapped in an insane asylum. Solitude had been bearable and the recent conversations with the other parts of the Horde pleasant. The vulgarities of a child-like companion would tax any sane man's stability however.

 

"Victoria visited me yesterday," he mentioned and was relieved to see Hedwig revitalized by the news.

 

"What? No way! She visits us!" With hands now both flat on the table, it seemed almost like a challenge. "She's our friend! You can't steal her away!"

 

Mr. Glass was somewhat taken aback by the outburst. He held up a placating hand and tried to calm down the child in a full grown, muscular man's body. "She said she was going to visit you next? Did she not? I'm pretty sure she can visit both of us. She seems quite friendly, certainly able to be friends with many people at once. She's also friends with Dennis and Patricia, right?"

 

Hedwig frowned as he considered this. "She did visit. She brought another book... I guess you're right. She's actually Orwell's friend, but she said she's my friend now too! I don't know if Dennis is her friend, I don't think he likes her. I think Patricia is her friend." Here, Hedwig flashed a mischievous grin. "Patricia really wants to be her friend."  Mr. Glass raised an eyebrow, making a mental note of the fact. 

 

"Yesterday Victoria and I talked about decimals and she made me promise to do some math problems. I don't know if I'm going to do them though," Hedwig finished with the indifferent defiance of a rebellious child.

 

"Did she include any fun stories?" Mr. Glass asked, mentally begging for their session to end soon. He wanted to ask about some of the more curious papers she'd included in the book she'd gifted him but worried what Hedwig would say. If she'd shared the same text with the Horde that she'd slipped him, he wasn't keen on the doctor finding out. Mr. Glass highly doubted this Hedwig's ability to discuss something in a circumspect manner before the cameras. You just couldn't trust a child. 

 

"Yes!" Hedwig cried and immediately launched into an excruciatingly detailed description of some children's story she'd included. There were aliens and something called a 'poot' and school children and Mr. Glass soon unfocused his eyes, enduring the childish enthusiasm for the remainder of the session. Again he wondered how it all reflected on whatever readings the helmet was recording.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will be sticking with the Wednesday updates for a while. Next Chapter is titled "Treatment". For those who are a fan of Casey, do know she's coming back... but wont be making an appearance for a couple more chapters.


	4. Treatment

"I'm just concerned for your well being," Dr Staple said, her smile looking more menacing than reassuring. The doctor handed over a folder which Victoria opened without thinking and then froze. "I just want you to know what you're getting into..."

 

The doctor continued to talk but her voice faded to Victoria's ear, lost in a gentle throbbing roar. The photo was brutal, clipped atop another that peeked out, equally gruesome. Victims, these were the victims. His victims. None of the press she'd seen so far had even approached the graphic level of detail she now held in her hands. The roar continued to pulse in her ear and she realized it was her own heartbeat. Fleetingly she wondered how one was supposed to act when confronted with such horror and hated the doctor for doing this. For putting her on the spot like this, for throwing out in vivid HD digital detail the extent of their crimes and then soaking up her reaction. The woman had stopped talking and was now studying her.

 

Victoria flipped through the pages at a slow and methodical rate. There were even more photos clipped to additional documents. She looked at every one and read paragraphs at a time from the notes section. Dr. Staple shifted her weight from one foot to the other occasionally, perhaps agitated at the time taken. Had she expected Victoria to swoon? To hand back the folder in a hurry and excuse herself?

 

"I see," she said when she'd finished. Closing the folder she handed it back and met the doctor's gaze directly. "Thank you for sharing this with me. I do feel more informed. Fascinating that all the fatal damage appears to have been done with the jaws. Does that mean he has an oral fixation? That's a thing in psychology, right?" Victoria wished she could offer a flippant grin but her stomach churned at the mental image of blood running down Orwell's chin.  She struggled instead to simply maintain her composure and appear calm.

 

Dr Staple's smile compressed down to pursed lips and she tucked the folder under her arm. "That's a rather outdated notion. No one in the field these days applies any of Freud's ideas towards their work."  She gestured for them to resume their walk and shortly they stood before the door. "Also," she added as they waited while the guards worked the series of locks, "I'm a psychiatrist. Not a psychologist." The smile then was brittle as ice.

* * *

 

He was angry, but so was she at this point. That did not make what she had said right, and she knew it. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she immediately followed with, "I'm sorry."

 

Dennis flexed his hands, still tucked up against himself under folded arms. His glare was furious and she could actually see a muscle in his jaw jumping. Was that merely suppressed rage, or did someone else want to say something? Victoria felt guilty for having such a thought. Surely it was rude to second guess someone's mental state. "I'm sorry," she repeated in a calmer tone. "I just-"

 

"Don't call us that," he said, glaring behind those glasses he wore. Victoria pressed her hands to her eyes to blot out the image of Orwell's face twisted so. Sometimes it was easy to remember it wasn't Orwell she was talking to. And sometimes the sight of him acting so unfamiliar felt like a waking nightmare.

 

"Then stop acting like you're conquering invaders, heartless and intent on destruction! Look what you've done so far!" She jabbed a hand at the surrounding white walls of the nearly barren room. "This is not where Orwell belongs! Where almost anyone belongs! Your collective actions- I apologize, I won't use that name but it is true that you... collaborators have damned the rest."

 

Again that muscle in his jaw ticked rapidly. "We understand why we're here." At least he sounded calm when he spoke.

 

"I just... I just want to talk to Orwell, please," she tried one last time. Letting her head fall back, she stared up at the ceiling. She'd become quite familiar with the painted concrete up there by now. Drawing a deep breath, she finally said it. "If I can't speak to Orwell today, I'm not coming back."  Though there was no sound, Victoria imagined she could feel the joy and delight radiating from the doctor behind her. The photos this morning had just been one of many increasingly blatant attempts to discourage her from returning. The silence from the other chair was not encouraging.

 

Dropping her head back down, she looked at Dennis. Of all the times for him to remain 'in the Light'... She was sure she'd have more luck negotiating with Hedwig or even Patricia.  The man rolled his broad shoulders and collected himself.

 

"Orwell called us the Horde first. He named us, the three of us. After the Muslim horde that invaded his precious ancient Hindu India." He looked to her, as if expecting a response, so she jerked her head in a nod. "We were ridiculed for our beliefs. They used the name to mock us. It sounds like a name out of a horror movie. They wouldn't listen, they'd just dismiss us as 'The Horde'.  We tried to warn them the Beast was coming... He was going to emerge no matter what. We were just trying to help. They'd no right to make fun of us for just trying to help. What did you say, once? 'The foreignness that even names alone can be imbued with is a terrible distancing technique being put in place by society against ideas that many are afraid to confront'" He mimicked her, reciting so precisely the words she'd spoken to the doctor and Hedwidg on her second visit that she gasped. Wrapping her arms around herself, she was shaken to have her own words thrown back at her and to hear such spoken against Orwell.

 

Victoria blinked away any possible tears and pressed her lips together as she nodded. Her mind raced, desperate with efforts to reconcile his feelings with the understanding that he should let Orwell into the Light. If she could just convince him that he wasn't under attack... Clearing her throat, she tentatively approached an idea. "How... how familiar are you with the battles of Tarain?"

 

It was with a scowl and a tight shrug that Dennis answered. "As much as I wanted to tune out the insufferable idiot, with his incessant wailing about Prithviraj and Ghori and Aligarh... I couldn't always. I heard him often enough."

 

Encouraged by this, she nodded. When she opened her mouth to speak, she felt the words tumbling out almost uncontrollably. "The you must know how it went with the Horde. They won. Delhi was under Islamic rule for nearly eight centuries. They swept in and converted everyone. They won. So... perhaps the name is more flattering than you thought?" she tentatively put forward. "And maybe..." she licked her lips and could almost taste the bad idea as she spoke it. "Perhaps it was Orwell's subconscious belief and agreement with you that granted you that name. One can see the inevitable and true while at the same time struggle to accept it."  

 

Looking up, she was surprised by the look on Dennis's face. Had she startled him what that idea? Now that she thought about it, it seemed quite obvious... She managed to catch herself before she voiced aloud the thought. No one liked their revelations to be trivialized, she knew that. Unfortunately, she didn't know much else when it came to talking through issues with someone. There was a psychiatrist in the room for goodness sake, wasn't that woman supposed to be helping Dennis and Orwell through this?  Though afraid to upset whatever feeling Dennis may have been experiencing, she couldn't help but defend Orwell. "Let's not forget though," she added softly. "The Beast did kill and... eat six children before he was captured. You can see how one might try to... distance themselves from such actions."

 

His brow was furrowed in thought but he was at least no longer scowling. "It was unfortunate but necessary," he muttered in a distracted way, clearly not giving much thought to the victims. Victoria drew a breath as the pictures she'd been shown flashed through her mind's eye again.  Her visits with Mr. Glass had at least somewhat prepared her for this callousness.

 

"Unfortunate but necessary," she repeated. With another sigh, she smoothed the hem of her shirt. "You seem comfortable with that idea. So I'll repeat, if you or anyone else would appreciate me ever visiting here again, it is unfortunate but necessary that I be given the chance to talk to Orwell." She felt quite proud of herself for how level and calm she sounded.

 

In response to her ultimatum, Dennis just stared at her and her heart sank. So this was it. She hadn't even gotten to the series of questions she'd planned out with Ms. Price. Coming into this visit she'd constructed an elaborate plan on how to round aboutly discuss Dr. Staple's nefarious research right in front of the doctor without the woman even knowing. But the folder with its gruesome details had upset her, undermined her determination and conviction. Looking at a young girl's mutilated torso in one photo and several of her organs, half gnawed on, in another really gave one pause. Maybe Victoria was way out of her league here, meddling in the treatment of one or more seriously deranged individuals.

 

So caught up in her internal conflict, she didn't even notice the transition. But all it took was a softly mumbled, "Victoria?" and she was up and out of her chair.

 

"Orwell!" she cried, crossing the space between them. Crouching down next to where he sat, she gripped his hand. "Orwell!" she repeated, overwhelmed to actually see her friend within her friend once again.

 

"Ms. Varati!" Dr. Staple scolded. "No touching!" Victoria ignored the woman. The urge to tangle her fingers with his was strong but she restrained herself.  Though she was filled with delight at seeing her friend at last, he was clearly just overwhelmed. As usual.

 

"I don't understand," Orwell said in a shaky voice. Carefully he removed his hand from her grasp and looked around the room with wide eyes. His gaze passed over the doctor without pause and eventually settled on Victoria. "Why are you here?" He looked at her, searchingly. "Why did you keep coming back?"

 

His words felt like a punch to the gut. Exhaling, she let herself slump down to sit on the floor. "Victoria, please," Dr. Staple chided. "Either return to your seat or I will have to terminate this visit. You know the rules." With numb limbs she managed to lift herself back to her chair. Orwell just watched her with a confused and attentive expression.

 

"Why wouldn't I have come back? They wouldn't let me see you. I just- I just wanted to make sure you're okay. You're my friend, Orwell." She bit her lip and tried to refrained from saying more. "If... if you don't want me to visit you or them any more, just say so. I was just trying to help..."

 

Orwell shook his head slowly, continuing to move as if in a daze. "No... You- You have helped." He ran a hand over his scalp. She'd seen the others make similar motions but it was never the same. This was the Orwell she knew, his gesture familiar. She recalled all the times they'd sat together, often with a pile of open books between them, and he'd run his hand over his head just like that. As if feeling every inch of that perfect head of his, looking for for some thought or phrase that evaded him, as if it might be hiding right there atop his scalp or back above his neck.

 

"I have?" she asked, almost surprised.

 

Nodding he fixed that perpetually inquisitive gaze of his on her. "I... think you have. The books, ah, your books have always helped me." He grinned at her and she automatically smiled back at him. "You've such a knack for finding just the right thing. I really don't know how you do it. You just... hunt for that perfect paper that really speaks to someone. Really addressed the important issues. I want you to know that everyone has appreciated what you've been giving us. Everyone has been sharing all the stories... and papers... you've included."

 

So enraptured was she by his praise and flattery, it took her a couple moments to understand what he was implying. Blinking some of the stars from her eyes, she said "Oh? Oh, yes... um. Well I do try my hardest to help. I mean be useful. I mean help. I just want to help you. And the others too. But if there's anything more I can do to be of use, please, just let me know. If there's anything..." On one hand she was likely making a fool of herself, but on the other Orwell never seemed to mind. Or notice.

 

He smiled again at her, almost shyly. "Those books really brought us together." She too smiled again in return at that though she wasn't exactly certain who 'us' referred to at the moment. "I must be honest, Victoria, I'm just... surprised that you'd go to such lengths to help us. Making those books, collecting those papers, must have taken a lot of work."

 

Of course she was blushing at this point so any further increase in color would have been undetectable. The implied question was excellent, so very like him, and one she was reluctant to answer. "You know I'm always happy to help anyone in need," she stammered. "Orwell, we've been friends for over seven years now. I couldn't imagine you just up and disappearing on me. That would have been... unbearable." There was the scratch of pen on paper, the doctor making some note, and Victoria wondered if it was possible for to feel even more uncomfortable.

 

"And the Horde- they must have tormented you so during your visits?" His question was so earnest and apologetic that Victoria winced. Yes, discomfort increased.

 

"Not- Not exactly. And, um, Orwell I don't think you should call them that." His frowned. "I mean, I know you're not going out of your way to deliberately antagonize them. They're trapped here as much as the rest of you and I don't want to try and play therapist or anything but I think maybe you might want to re-evaluate your relationship with... some of the others." Suggesting her friend should be best buddies with the murderous personalities that lived in his head left quite a sour taste in her mouth. "I want to help and I'm happy to keep coming back to visit but I want you to be part of those visits and Dennis has made it quite clear that if you... If you..." Again she felt a strong urge to reach out and grip his hand but she knew the doctor was at her limit. She also suspected it would make him uncomfortable so instead she laced her own fingers together and kept her hands in her lap.

 

"In truth, I'm quite surprised that he allowed me into the Light at all," Orwell muttered. "And... Patricia and I spoke recently. About some of the articles in the last book." He shot her a significant glance. "Are there more by the same author in here?" He stroked the spine of the volume she'd handed to Dennis at the start of the session. Just watching the reverent way he handled her creation made her want to sigh dreamily.

 

"Mmmm-hmmm," she managed along with a nod. The smile she got in return made her frequent trips to the Reynolds Hospital worth it. After that, the conversation shifted to more familiar and comforting topics. Though she'd stopped attending the meetup they'd frequented together, she was still able to update him on some of the local academic gossip. They discussed the Smithsonian article she'd included in the last book and Orwell explained that he'd been working on a new idea for a paper during his time away from the Light. She'd been smiling and nodding along as he explained his thoughts on the subject when he paused.

 

There was no struggle or violence to it, Victoria just watched in horror as the essence that she associated with Orwell seemed to drain out of him. Carefully he lowered the hand that he'd been so vigorously gesturing with and pointedly looked away. She'd been holding Orwell's gaze, no doubt making a fool of herself with her obvious adoration, when Dennis had stepped into the Light.  While she wasn't exactly certain what expression she'd made at this exchange in conversational partners, she was certain it wasn't flattering to anyone. She too looked away, color again rising in her cheeks.

 

"Thank you," she managed to mumble. When he didn't respond, she mentally kicked herself for behaving so poorly. She looked directly at him and again said, "Thank you. Seeing Orwell means a lot to me. I understand that... I appreciate you making... Thank you." She ended with, lamely, unable to quite put to words the feeling of gratitude for what should have been a basic, humane gesture that could have been granted back during her first visit.

 

Dennis nodded stiffly at this, still not meeting her eye. "Patricia would never forgive me if you didn't come back," he muttered. There was the faintest quirk to his lips. If it'd been anyone else, Victoria would have sworn he'd cracked a joke.  Giving herself a shake, she tried to bring herself and the visit back to task. While seeing Orwell was always her primary objective, there was more she was to accomplish this time.

 

"Yes, well," she said, trying to sound casual. "If I'd stop coming I'm sure you'd still have your other visitors....?"

 

Dennis so visibly flinched at the remark that Victoria immediately started to try and verbally back peddle. From what, she wasn't certain, but that didn't stop her from babbling. "I mean, I hope you have other visitors. But if you don't that's nothing to be ashamed of. I don't believe anyone other than his mother visits Mr. Glass, and well myself these days. Not that there's anything to be ashamed of about one's mother. Well maybe he gets other visitors, but I don't think one should assume that all visitors are good. I try to remember that just because one visits doesn't mean one is welcome. I had just been given the impression from Dr. Staple when I first came that several other people had been requested to visit and that-"

 

"There's no one else," Dennis ground out from between clenched teeth. Victoria felt an urge to just pull at her hair and wail, so frustrated was she by this man. He'd be cold and then angry and then hurt and then finally almost kind and then angry or hurt again, she couldn't even tell.

 

"Is there someone you wish would visit?" she asked, fumbling in a blind attempt to repair the conversation.

 

The silence that hung for a moment in the room was heavy and she could almost hear the internal struggle that was written out across his face. So furrowed was his brow, he almost looked to be in pain. Again that muscle in his jaw was jumping erratically.

 

"No," was his eventual response, enunciated carefully and clearly.

* * *

"I'm very impressed," Dr. Staple said, stepping aside as several technicians rolled in equipment. "I had expected you to mention Ms. Cooke's name." She watched as Patricia stood on the other side of the room, next to her bed. "You thought about asking Victoria to invite her, didn't you?"

 

"Don't be ridiculous," Patricia murmured, watching as a massive box was hoisted up onto the scaffolding assembled earlier. "I certainly hope never to see that terrible girl again. Did you know that she actually tried to strike Hedwig with a baseball bat?" With one hand on her hip and another splayed across her chest, she sounded quite scandalized. "Can you believe it?"

 

The doctor was forced to move again as another cart rumbled in. The room was feeling quite crowded at this point but Patricia maintained her calm demeanor. "I was referring to Dennis and Hedwig," the doctor snapped.

 

"Hmmm, really?" Patricia made a disappointed tsking sound. "As a doctor and a scientist, I would hope you'd be more careful with your language. You said 'you', so I assumed we were talking about myself." With a wave of her hand she seemed to dismiss a bothersome idea. "You know well enough by now that I've no idea what the others are thinking."

 

"No, that one goes there," Dr. Staple was briefly distracted, directing the technicians. Turning back to Patricia, she attempted a withering expression that had no impact whatsoever. "Well, I'd appreciate if you'd let me talk to one of them then. Yesterday was quite an intense visit, I think a review of what was covered would be beneficial for us all."

 

Patricia pointedly examined her nails. "No, I don't believe that'll be possible. They're both asleep at the moment."

 

"Oh, I don't know about that," Dr. Staple smiled. There was something to her tone that Patricia didn't like. But there was many things about the woman that she didn't like. Constant condescending attitude, her harassment of Hedwig, that garish red lipstick, constantly stealing Victoria's lovely books, her irksome no touching rule. Patricia's eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips.

 

"What on earth does that mean, doctor?"

 

"I think that it's time we start the next stage of your treatment," she ran a hand over the now assembled structure the ringed the door to the room. "So far I've found the three 'Horde' personalities to be very difficult to work with. No, don't be offended. I understand it's just the way you are. And at this point I'm skeptical that any further progress can be made. With you at least."

 

It wasn't exactly fear that she felt, but Patricia experienced a sense of unease settling over her like a damp cloth. She considered waking up Dennis and once again longed for the Beast to return to deliver them from this madness. How exactly, she wasn't sure though she had faith it could be done. With his increase in powers, she and the others were pushed further from the Light when the Beast claimed it.  Her recollection of the last feeding was hazy but the taste of blood in their mouth afterwards was not one she would ever forget. And at this moment in time she simply gazed at the doctor's pale throat and conjured up what memories she could. "Oh?" she replied, sounding bored.

 

"This system is powered by state of the art technology that I believe will be a great aid in your treatment. I actually had a hand in writing some of the controlling software," she boasted, looking disgustingly smug. "It's a very precisely driven system that uses a series of lights to induce certain patterns in the brain." The damp feeling of unease froze into the icy embrace of fear. It was exactly as they had expected. "The light will force a different identity to take over."

 

Raising her chin, Patricia held to her composure. They had known this was coming. The doctor turned to a control panel and there was the hum of machinery. Patricia contemplated her fate. Were these to be her final moments? To be reprogrammed out of Kevin's brain like some unwanted scrap of software? Would Kevin and Hedwig and Dennis remain trapped in this wretched institute until they too were removed from this shared flesh? So she'd failed in her quest to rise the Beast up, unable to give him the strength he required to protect the Broken? Failed in her efforts to show the world that they were real, they more powerful, that they were one of the Pure. She contemplated all this without thought of trying to flee or escape. Efforts earlier in their stay at the hospital had convinced them that fighting the guards or the doctor did no good. Not without the Beast. And so she stood there, resigned to her fate.

 

Dr. Staple chuckled and the humming intensified. There was the tapping of keys and then a click. "Oh, Patricia. You're not even going to close your eyes, are you? Not that'd it'd help..."

 

"You really are a bore, Dr. Staple" she replied. There was no use waking the others, they'd surely find out soon enough the doctor was up to something. Instead, Patricia thought of the Beast and called with all her heart.

 

There was no response.

 

_]]] there was a flash of light [[[[_

 

Jade reeled back. "Holy fuck," she muttered. Stumbling backwards, she tripped on her own feet and landed on her ass. "Fuck," she repeated.

 

Dr. Staple flipped open her note book, smiling. She walked over to where Jade sprawled on the floor and crouched down. Pen at the ready she asked, "And who might you be?"

 

The echo of lights danced at the corners of her vision, possibly in time with her heart rate. Narrowing her eyes, she spit at the doctor, striking the woman on the cheek. "Fuck you, bitch."

 

Stumbling away from her, Dr. Staple retreated back to the other side of the room. One of the technicians already had a handkerchief out for her which she took and wiped her face with. "I don't feel you're very cooperative," she said and turned back to the machine.

 

_]]] there was another flash of light [[[[_

 

"Por favor, señora," Felicia groaned, struggling to her feet. "Detén esta locura." She held one hand to her head and the other up as if to ward off a blow. Her head throbbed and her eyes stung.  The doctor checked her notes, flipping through several pages.

 

"You must be..... Felicia?" Dr. Staple looked up, smiling wide. "It's a pleasure to talk to you. Tell me, and remember this is for your treatment so be honest, how do you feel?"

 

"Realmente eres un médico terrible, ¿verdad? Sabes que no te entiendo, ¿verdad? Estúpida perra..."

 

The doctor looked around the room. "Do any of you speak Spanish? No? No? You? No?" Felicia narrowed her eyes.

 

"Deberías rendirte ahora. Estamos unidos contra ti. No puedes quebrarnos." She stood up straight, fists clenched at her side. "La Horda puede ser malvada, pero al menos son parte de nosotros. No eres nadie. Eres impuro." She sneered and tossed her head.

 

"I don't like the tone of your voice," Dr. Staple said cooly, setting aside her notebook and moving to the machine.

 

"Miss- er- Doctor, the guidelines say-" The technician shut his mouth as she turned to look at him. Her back was towards Felicia but she could imagine well enough the look. It seemed to have the same sort of effect that many of Patricia's looks had. Though her head throbbed terribly, she closed her eyes and tried to... sense the others. Of all the times for them to leave her alone! Beyond the pain in her head, everything felt different. It was almost as if she was trapped in the Light. She didn't even really know what that meant, but there was nothing as she strained to reach out to the others. It seemed like-

 

_]]] and another flash of light [[[[_

 

Pain. There was a lot of pain. Mary gripped her head and hissed. Her heart was racing and she felt rather than heard a ringing in her ears. Yes, this was about as bad as they had expected.  Blinking away tears she almost laughed. Perhaps not quite as bad as they had expected. Hedwig had been certain their eyeballs would burst if the doctor tried to run her little experiment on them. Gingerly she reached up to touch her face. Though she found her cheeks wet with tears, there did not appear to be any unnatural bleeding. Hedwig would no doubt be relieved that their eyes remained intact though she prayed that he would not have to experience such a summoning in order to find out.

 

It took her a moment to realize she was staring at Dr. Staple's shoes. Lifting her head, she winced as the normal lights in the room stabbed at her. The horrible woman stood over her, smiling encouragingly. She offered a handkerchief, which Mary took and wiped her face with.

 

"May I ask who I'm talking to?" the doctor inquired politely. Mary closed her eyes and smiled faintly, not caring that she found herself kneeling on the ground before the woman. Holding out the handkerchief, she felt the doctor take it back.

 

"I'm Mary Reynolds," she answered.

 

"Mary," the doctor breathed, clearly encouraged by her response. "Mary, how lovely. I don't believe we've met. I'm Dr. Ellie Staple." Mary chuckled and held up a hand to forestall the doctor from speaking further.

 

"Oh, I know all about you, Ellie." Mary continued to smile, eyes closed. "We all know about you and your games. Don't worry, we know how to play them." Without opening her eyes, she shifted how she sat on the floor, legs folding and crossing. Pressing her thumbs to index fingers, she tried to calm her mind. Drawing in a deep breath through her nose, she appeared not to hear the doctor as the woman spoke.

 

"What do you mean? I'm not playing games, Mary." With a loud exhale, Mary opened her mouth to breath out. "I am your doctor and this is a serious attempt to treat your condition." There was another loud inhale through the nose. "Now I'm going to ask you a series of questions and I'd appreciate your cooperation." Another whooshing exhale. "Tell me, what day is it?"

 

Mary completed three more cycles of breathing before the doctor apparently turned away in a huff of frustration.  One of the technicians began to argue with the woman but Mary chose to ignore them. Her time in the Light was so infrequent these days, she decided to embrace the joy of being alive while she could rather than become overwrought with distress at the inevitable. Her head continued to throb though the rhythm had changed, slowed and it didn't feel quite as teeth achingly painful. Another breath in and she contemplated the inevitable.

 

Two technicians now were arguing with the doctor. What exactly did inevitable mean? The fact that she couldn't save herself didn't mean she couldn't be saved. Breathing out, she for the first time really contemplated the idea of this so called Beast. Could she save herself by not being herself? Drawing in a deep breath, she tried to draw in more than just air. Like drawing a breath, Mary tried to pull more into her mind. Her eyes fluttered. The isolation she felt there was strange. An echoing stillness, a silence. It was just her and the Light. Standing in the Light was so different than being denied it, it felt foreign to for once struggle in the other direction. Where were they? Where was he? Exhale. Inhale.

 

There was an elevated hum of machinery again. Mary strove to ignore it as she drew in another deep breath.

 

_]]] the light flashed [[[[_

 

Patricia exhaled sharply, her head snapping back. She didn't realize her eyes were open till she blinked a couple times. Carefully she rolled her head, neck cracking. The pulsing pain seemed to rattle around inside her skull as she did so. Lifting a hand, she examined her palm before curling her fingers into a fist.

 

"Who are you?" the doctor demanded from where she stood by the controls. Patricia unfurled her fingers and reached up to touch her face. Her cheeks were damp and yes, that was a trickle of blood that ran from her nose. Daintily, she wiped it away and was thankful that no more seemed to flow.  Though it felt physically painful to do so, Patricia carefully turned her head and stared cooly at the doctor. She could tell by the way the woman's shoulders slumped that she knew exactly who she was talking to.

 

"Very interesting toy you have there. But I suggest you step away from the controls now, little doctor," With an iron will and much care, Patricia drew herself up to a standing position. "You've made your point and I believe we've made ours. Perhaps we should continue this session at a later time." She smirked at the woman who clearly flushed in rage.

 

"Doctor, I insist!" one of the technicians said, hand firmly placed over the controls. Two more started to unplug things after the woman hesitated for no more than a second.

 

The throbbing in Patricia's head continued to tick in time with her heartbeat. She blinked once and then a second time and managed to remain perfectly calm as she realized she'd lost sight out of her left eye. Perhaps it'd return. She had.

 

Lifting her chin, she carefully stepped to the bed and settled herself on it. Folding her hands neatly on her knees, she appeared to watch the breakdown of the device with extreme disinterest. In truth she sat there and struggled to perform the simple act of staying conscious.

* * *

David looked to the empty chair and then back at the doctor again. The woman had entered the room quite flustered and was clearly struggling to calm herself. Though he was reluctant to do so, David glanced over to Elijah. Sure enough, the man had been watching him. Locking gazes, he was surprised to see a look of seemingly real concern cross the man's face as he pointedly turned to stare at the empty seat. David couldn't really bring himself to be worried about the well being of such a madman, but it was concerning nonetheless. The doctor seemed quite fond of establishing routines and very rarely broke from them. That the Horde's seat was empty, not just removed, suggested something was amiss.

 

"Yes," she snapped before pausing and repeating herself in a calmer tone. "Yes, Kevin won't be joining us today for group therapy. He's fallen ill." She looked down at her notes and shuffled the pages about in what David was certain was nothing more than an act to stall for time. "Don't worry though, he'll join us for tomorrow's session."

 

"What did you do to him?" Mr Glass said in such a cold voice that David was a little surprised. The man made it sound like she'd murdered him. Again David glanced at the empty chair.  Previously when the Horde and the doctor had clashed, he'd always been dragged in. Even if he'd been medicated beyond the point of sentience, she'd had orderlies haul him in and strap him to the chair. An act no doubt meant as a statement or example to her other patients.

 

"Nothing," she snapped. There as a particular bitterness to the tone that David didn't quite understand. "He's begun trials for a new phase of treatment. I believe it'll just take some time for him to adjust." Again with the note shuffling. "Don't worry though, I don't believe either of your treatments will be as taxing." She looked up and smiled warmly at them both.

 

"Now, lets begin. Elijah, why don't we talk about your mother today?" 

* * *

"I'm not feeling well," Patricia murmured, swaying on her feet before bracing a hand against the wall.

 

"I've got you, honey," Polly's rolling southern accent replied and Patricia gratefully swooned from the Light. With hurried but also shuffling steps, Polly made it to the toilet before her stomach wrenched and once again they were heaving over it.  Though there was nothing really left to come up at this point, they convulsed for several minutes. Carefully cleaning up, Polly reflected on how it almost felt like old times. It'd been a while since those wild college days when Luke or Kat would need her after some wild night of drinking. Washing her face, she hummed to herself.

 

With the ache in her hands from the arthritis and the constant thrum of pain from her bad hip, the nausea from their "treatment" barely registered. Hobbling over to the bed, she stretched out and sighed. Even with all her aches and pains, it felt good to be back in the Light, to be alive. And, God forgive her for her sins, she couldn't help but take a bit of pride in nursing all the others, even that Patricia. There's always been a tension after she'd shown up on who best could care for the others. That proud woman finally needed her and Polly smiled to herself. In a way, it felt as if she'd won.

 

Polly waited for the familiar feeling of being pushed from the Light but it never came. She relaxed a little, sighing and settling in more comfortably on the bed, relieved to know she'd be there for a while. The last three times she'd stepped into the Light to assist, Patricia had sort of snapped back shortly after, seemingly again her will. She'd even gone so far as to apologize the second time it happened. Polly snorted at the very idea... Patricia! Apologizing to her! How novel.

 

The sort of rubber band anchoring to the Light was one if the last symptoms to fade. The 'locked in' effect was the first to recede, thank goodness. Their vision had returned to both eyes shortly after the evening light cycle program had started. The overwhelming throbbing in their skull had receded to a constant dull background ache not long after. In truth, with the nausea and thrumming pain, it now just resembled a severe hangover, something she'd gained experience with years before. Of course prissy Patricia had never felt one before and though her stiff British upper lip kept her from complaining too much, Polly knew it took a lot out of her.

 

It took a while to realize one of the many discomforts she felt was in fact fixable. The hospital pillow was much more comfortable after she removed the book that had been hiding under it. Smiling to herself, she peeked at the different sections the ribbons had been tucked into. Ah, yes, there it was. Licking her lips, she flipped back to the start of the story and sighed happily. She felt guilty for thinking it, but it really didn't seem like things were that bad.  Here she was in a warm bed with a delightful book to keep her company. For the first time in years it seemed like Kevin and everyone were finally getting along again. Their collective determination to thwart the doctor had really brought everyone together in a way that almost warmed Polly's heart. True, they'd been institutionalized but at least it was cleaner here than that pigsty the others had opted to live in for the last couple years. Maybe, in a way, the doctor's "treatment" was actually working.

 

Polly chucked at the thought before letting herself get lost in the sweeping embrace of the romance that'd been included in this edition. It felt good to soak in a story of true love. Yes, she wished they'd maybe be a little steamier, they always ended after just a kiss and maybe a warm embrace but a warm embrace was better than nothing. Heaving a sigh she couldn't help but feel an intense longing in her heart. If only there was a Prince Charming out there who would come along and rescue her.... but Polly knew such stories never happened to people like her. Without thinking, she wiped away the tear forming at the corner of her eye and continued to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting somewhere! Next chapter is titled "Side Effects".
> 
> I counted it out, the story should have 15-16 chapters if I keep releasing on Wednesdays and end just in time for the next film... which about fits with what I've got/planned so far. 
> 
> In the mean time, I'd like to give a couple shout outs to other shows that have inspired me/this work and I'd recommend to hold you over till January. Disclaimer, I'm west coast and watched most of these while incredibly high so YMMV
> 
> \- Maniac (Netflix miniseries) : Just... so good. So beautiful, so pure, such music... amazing.  
> \- Legion (TV series, emphasis on season 2) : More super heroes that (like the Split universe) seemed to be looked at with an interesting take. Visually stunning and confusing, just relax into it. Relax. Lot of inspiration drawn from this one, I mean, it's hard not to see the parallels...  
> \- Altered Carbon (Netflix miniseries) : Visually and conceptually brilliant. Some good acting, but it's hit or miss. Best when paired with the book. A friend described it as "guy-rotica" given the the extreme pandering to an ultimate male power fantasy. I draw a lot of inspiration from the fucked up stuff that can be done/happens to the human psyche in that universe  
> \- The OA (Netflix miniseries) : Do you like mad science, magic realism, death, and/or hot British men keeping people captive?  
> \- Sense8 (Netflix miniseries) : Okay, don't *actually* like this one that much, but the concepts are too great to pass up. I think of Kevin & the alters very much like the sensates. Also, just saying, check out episode 6, season 1...  
> \- Wormwood (Netflix miniseries/documentary) : Really enjoyed this look at obsession, the government, expectations, reality, what can and cannot be known. It's about the MKULTRA project. Lags a bit in the middle but I found the contrast between the first and last episode striking and a little bit of a mind fuck.


	5. Side Effects

The treatments continued though in future sessions Ellie was able to restrain herself and limit the exposures to the recommended maximum dosage of three. To her immense frustration none of the alters brought to the Light were this Beast that she so desperately wanted to meet.

 

True to her word, as she always was, patient Crumb was dragged to the next group therapy session. She'd allowed two hours of cool down after his treatment but he still had to be hauled glassy eyed and unresponsive into his chair. She had never learned which alter exactly that one had been, though for once they appeared more incapacitated than uncooperative in their failure to respond to her questions.  Her other patients proved to be unsettled by the sight of him, much to her annoyance. Elijah complained when he wasn't there and then complained when he was. Since when did he take such a keen interest in the treatment of the others? She'd hoped to soon start them both on their own particular phase three treatments but decided to wait till Kevin was more under control.

 

Unfortunately things continued to escalate. On Thursday the treatment had cycled through Luke, another unidentifiable alter, and ended with Hedwig. Immediately the man had begun to sob in the most alarming way. It was quite impressive how effective he was at mimicking the sounds of a wounded child. Not only had it'd upset her technicians but even David had appeared effected, looking extremely disturbed during the entirety of group therapy. Once again she wished Alice and Ben hadn't been such sticklers for protocol, they would have been all better off if they'd agreed to look the other way while she'd cycled the alter away with just one extra dosing. As it was, she'd been informed there had been several "anonymous" complaints filed against her to management in regards to her treatment of the patient. Dr. Madison assured her that they continued to have faith in her work but suggested things would go more smoothly if she perhaps played it a bit more by the book.

 

She'd thanked him for his support but his word choice had reminded her of an approaching problem. Victoria's weekly visit was imminent and she just knew it would not go well. She'd confiscated the latest book just the other day in response to one alter's extremely rude and vulgar comments towards her person. If patient Crumb was allowed to meet with that woman she was certain he'd misrepresent what had been going on. People outside the medical community could so easily jump to conclusions in regards to this sort of frontier pushing research.

 

Dr. Staple didn't feel an ounce of regret when she reached what she concluded to be the inevitable solution.

* * *

Dennis gripped the sink and kept his breaths controlled and even. He could feel Rakel struggle away from the Light and he worked with her to maintain his position in it. Eyes closed he switched to the more dramatic in and out cycles of breathing that Ms. Reynolds and coached them all on. They were getting better at this, at recovering faster from whatever the doctor did to scramble their brain.

 

The flashes still shattered them, the immediate effects devastating.  Polly and a few others, himself included, coped better with the pain that lingered afterwards. It was the persistent disruptive effect on the Light though that worried them all the most and which they collectively struggled to master. Those who were more used to frequent alternations in and out of the Light, himself and Patricia for example as well as Rakel and Ansel, fared far better than the others. Barry and Hedwig, normally so in control of it, seemed to be most devastated. They all collectively mourned for how Hedwig had suffered, trapped alone and in intense pain for over half a day.

 

Though they were never provided a clock, Dennis knew the hour for group therapy drew new. He whispered a couple words of encouragement to Rakel under his breath and was relieved when she did not respond this time. His shoulders relaxed, his grip on the sink slacking with relief, when he felt certain she was gone. While Patricia, Hedwig, and he had agreed to more freely share the Light with everyone and did not resent Rakel for standing in it, they refused to let the doctor's machine control them.

 

With the sound of the locks on his door being undone, he straightened up, ready.

* * *

"What do you mean, she won't be coming back?" he asked.

 

Dr. Staple didn't look up as she shuffled through her notes. "I've deemed her to be a threat to your treatment and improvement. I think the influence she's had on you has not been as productive as I anticipated and is far stronger than I expected." Now she looked up at him with a sad frown. She strived to imbue it with that of a mother disappointed her child. "I'm rather surprised, Dennis, that you'd let yourself be so swayed and controlled by some random woman. You know I'm happy to provide you with reading material, if that's why you value her visits. I mean, honestly, most of you barely know her."  The muscle in Dennis's jaw jumped but he did not move an inch.

 

"Will I still be receiving visits from Ms. Varati?" Mr. Price asked. Dennis made no indication he'd even heard the other man's question and the set of his shoulders became familiar.

 

"Don't be this way, Dennis." Dr. Staple said, ignoring Elijah. "You know what I think about these fits of silence of yours."

 

"Wait, I'm confused," David interjected. "Someone is visiting both Elijah and Kevin?"

 

It was at this point that Dr. Staple realized perhaps she shouldn't have shared this information during group therapy. A private threat would have been more productive. She'd hoped for a wild display of temper, a struggle of several personalities, perhaps even a physical outburst. Based on the intensity of emotion from their last visit she'd expected more than just a strong pout. Given the light therapy schedule, she encountered Dennis far less frequently these days and had impulsively jumped at the opportunity to try and... work with him by sharing her decision.

 

"I repeat my question," Elijah said, voice raised. "Will Ms. Varati be banned from visiting me as well?"

 

"Is she some sort of psycho killer fangirl?" David asked.

 

Dennis remained in the chair, armed crossed. Silent.

 

"With this new stage of treatment," Ellie tried to regain control of the room. "I don't believe Victoria adds any value. As your doctor, it is my right-"

 

"We are allowed guests!" Mr. Price roared and Ellie winced. The transfer notes had mentioned that visitation rights were a sensitive issue for the patient.

 

"Your mother is still welcome to visit you," she replied. Dennis hadn't even reacted to the outburst. He just kept staring at her. There was a beat and the room was silent. Dr. Staple relaxed a fraction, believing the issue settled. As to Dennis's sulk, she was not that worried. While the other alters brought forward had been uncooperative, she doubted any of them could be as difficult as he was.

 

"Well then, I too am not speaking until both myself and Dennis are granted visits by Victoria," Elijah declared, and laced his fingers over his stomach.

 

"If you throw a temper tantrum, your privileges will be revoked just as Kevin's have been, Elijah."  This threat did not seem to sway him. She wondered if perhaps she'd miscalculated in baring the woman entirely but it was too late. Now both men stared at her silently. "This doesn't even make sense, why are you doing this?" The moment she said it, she knew it was a mistake.

 

Leaning back in his chair, David Dunn also crossed his arms. "I wonder if I shouldn't speak until I talk to this Victoria person..." he said with a grin.  It was every psychiatrists worst nightmare. If the patients united against her things could quickly spiral out of control.

 

"David, I assure you, Ms. Varati is not worth jeopardizing your son's visits for. I'd be happy to give him a call and have him come back early this weekend to remind you that the privileges you have here are worth keeping." David nodded slowly at that and the other two both gave him disgusted looks. Elijah and Dennis remained united in their spite for her and she could not get another word from them for the rest of session. She sent them back and prescribed a disciplinary regiment of meals and reduced privileges.

* * *

It'd taken about ten minutes to work their way through the usual chit chat and updates. There was less to talk about than normal since Joseph had already visited this week just a couple days prior. David was still impressed how his son managed to take such minor daily events and spin them into full and colorful stories. He certainly hadn't gotten it from him. It was yet another one of those things about life and the people in it that he hadn't really appreciated till he'd wound up here.

 

The conversation eventually lagged, as David knew it would. Gently, he redirected it to where he needed it to go. "You still see Steve ever?" he asked with an intentionally casual tone. Joseph blinked and brushed his hair from his eyes. The kid was approaching thirty and still had a full head of hair. Yet another thing he'd gotten from his mother.

 

"Ah, yeah... he actually came to check in and make sure I was okay after- after your arrest." He clearly was confused by the question. The breakup had been amiable and several years prior. It'd actually been four years since David had last seen the man but he had always been nice enough and David assumed he was still on the force.

 

"Good." David nodded and found his nerve faltering. With a swallow he smiled sadly at his son. "Hey. I want you to know I really appreciate you standing by me through all this."

 

Joseph looked surprised by the change in topic yet again. Probably thought they had him on medication or something. "Dad, I know you're innocent!"

 

"That's not what I mean. You've got a life to live. It's got to be hard on you to keep chasing down here all the time. I want you to be happy, okay? Look at this, it's a what... Saturday? Saturday and you're here in an insane asylum talking to your old man. That's not right. You should be out at a park or, I don't know, partying with your friends." Shaking his head, he realized what he said was true and that this was probably for the best anyway. "It's your day off, you should be enjoying life, enjoying what's outside these walls."

 

"It's okay, Dad, it's fine. I'm happy to visit. I know Mom will eventually-"

 

David just shook his head and drew a deep breath. He knew he was probably going to regret doing this but he pushed forward anyway. Fixing Joseph with a serious look he paused, making sure he had his son's full attention. "Just know, I'll be happy if you're happy, okay?" he added. "Now I'm pretty sure you can get Steve to help you with this but... I need you to find someone named Victoria Varati-"

 

"David!" The doctor erupted behind him.

 

He continued to speak clearly and deliberately over her. "-I want you to find her, tell her something is going on here-"

 

"I absolutely insist you cease discussing-" Dr. Staple was on her feet now, shouting.

 

"-and find Elijah's mom. Make sure they know they have to-"

 

"-personal details about individuals that don't concern you! Joseph, this visit is terminated! Come with me." The doctor signaled something at the door before approaching his son who continued to sit in stunned silence. Realizing an opportunity presented itself, David paused. Just as she reached Joseph, he thrust out his hand towards her. She must have been expecting something because she managed to twist, just barely stepping out of reach. Once again, the damn woman avoided his touch, further convincing him that she was hiding something.

 

"Guards!" she shrieked and fixed him with a disgusted glare. David considered just lunging again at her but knew he was probably already in enough trouble.

 

"No! What? No! He wasn't attacking her!" Joseph tried to frantically explain the situation to the armed men who quickly filed into the room. "This isn't right!" Joseph shouted again as one of the men started shepherding him out of the room. "Dad! Dad!"

 

Two guards stood between David and the doctor, both of whom appeared to be locked in a staring contest. He fought back a twitch in his arms. He knew he could take them. All of them. This was just one big god damned joke. But while he was certain he could clear the room he knew he'd never make it down the hall, let alone out of the building.

 

With deliberate effort he forced himself to relax while he folded his arms across his chest. The last thing he wanted was for the guards to think he was an actual threat.

 

"Well I hope you're happy with yourself, Mr. Dunn. That was incredibly stupid and for what point exactly? I think we're going to need to reassess your medication and you can consider your privileges revoked until further notice."

* * *

Gripping the warm cup of tea between her hands wasn't helping. Saddened by this realization, Victoria was forced to just sit and struggle with the overwhelming feeling of awkwardness that threatened to suffocate them both. At least the man had calmed himself. You would think that a stranger asking to enter one's home to talk would be more anxiety inducing to the host than the guest but apparently not. The cup no longer trembled in his hands though there was a faint rattle when he settled it onto the saucer.

 

"Really, I'm sorry," he repeated and again Victoria tried to assure him that everything was fine. "Normally I'm much better talking with people, I mean, it's basically my job but this... It's just so personal. I'm just... I just don't know what to say. I mean, everything has always been a little strange with my dad being... well.. You saw the news, right?" A silent nod encouraged him to continue. "So, I mean, I'm used to him being in strange situations and making cryptic remarks. He never was that open about... everything."

 

Again Victoria nodded sympathetically and took a sip of her tea. First she'd been forced to help Dennis and Orwell work through their differences and now here she was listening to the son of the man who had captured them explain how things were complicated. The feeling of disbelief sort of tingled at the back of her mind. How had she gotten into this scenario? In theory the man before her was trying to explain his part in it but he appeared to get more tongue tied than even she did.

 

"And I didn't even think he approved of Steve, you know?" he was saying as she re-focused on this so called 'explanation'.

 

"I just don't understand," she interrupted as politely as she could. "Yes, yes, you've explained how you got here. But I still don't quite understand why your father... suggested you find me." The statement felt only half true and it made her uncomfortable saying it. She had an uneasy feeling about this. Unable to help herself, she glanced over at the pair of books that innocently rested on her coffee table between them. They was the latest volumes she'd taken to the hospital the other day and which had returned with her when they'd refused to let her speak to either patient. "I did sort of find out for myself that they're no longer allowed guests."

 

Joseph looked at his hands clasped as they were between his knees. "I don't really know either. He just said that there was something going on and that you had to... do something. But he never said what. They dragged me out of the room at that point." Victoria reached up to lightly pinch the bridge of her nose. "The doctor was so angry," he continued. "She convinced the guards that he was attacking her I think, even though he wasn't. He was just..." Here he looked nervous and glanced about the room.

 

Though there was not an milligram of fondness for the woman in her heart, Victoria was not pleased to hear about anyone attacking the doctor. Raising an eyebrow she waited for his explanation. It seemed like all these patients of Dr. Staple's had some reason or another to justify their terrible behaviors. She wondered if this too would boil down to 'unfortunate by necessary.' Joseph's struggle continued, battling some thought or feeling that wasn't merely fleeting. This apparently lead him to stand and he actually took several steps around her living room. The discomfort of inviting a stranger into her apartment once again surfaced.

 

"Are- are you also a doctor?" he asked, peering at her bookshelf, obviously reading several of the titles. "I've never- he never really shared details with anyone," he hurriedly continued without waiting for her response, "About how everything works, exactly. I feel like everything I know came from spying on him or cornering him till he confessed. So he probably wouldn't want me to say but I just don't know what to do and... maybe it's helpful? Maybe I'm supposed to tell you?"

 

She'd squeezed her eyes shut to endure this awkward monologue but opened them to find him staring at her with such a pleading expression. Trying her best, she put on a sympathetic and attentive look that he clearly needed to see before he could continue. "Really, he wasn't going to attack her. He just tried to touch her hand. He can sense things, when he touches people," Joseph eventually revealed with a serious tone of voice.

 

"Pardon?" she asked, made more uneasy by the bizarre claim. If David was crazy, did that mean his son was possibly as well?

 

"It's part of... part of his super powers, you know?" Joseph ran a hand through his sandy brown hair, touselling it further. "The doctor keeps him away, always. If he touches her, he'd see... " here Joseph gestured vaguely, large sweeping arm movements indicating something that neither of them understood. "He'd see if she'd done anything bad. He's been there months now and has never been able to get within a couple feet of her though."

 

Carefully Victoria digested this information, faintly relieved to hear he hadn't actually attempted to assault the woman. So Joseph honestly believed his father had powers. Mr. Glass had euphemistically suggested such things in their discussions together but had not flat out accused anyone of any particular feats beyond the incredible strength and endurance both David and The Beast had demonstrated during their battle just prior to capture. The press footage and been shaky and hard to see exactly, the most circulated videos coming from the helicopter that tracked them. Though it'd publicly been explained as two psychotic individuals fighting in some drug fueled rage, she'd already dismissed large portions of that narrative. The waivers she'd signed on her initial visit suggested that the hospital too was wary of something inherently dangerous in them.

 

"While that's... very interesting, Joseph, I'm not certain how that helps anything," even as the words tripped from her lips, her mind had begun racing. "I don't know what I or Ms. Price can do without more information," she slowed, her words weighted down by the momentum of an idea that was already forming, unbidden. "Without speaking to the patients more, there's no reason to know why... this..."

 

Without finishing her thought, Victoria rose and moved to the shelf. Ignoring the man standing next to her, she lightly plucked several volumes from where they sat and retrieved the folder that had rested, unseen, under them. While she'd left Ms. Price with the folder the evening they'd met, she of course had her own copy of everything and had been adding to it continuously.

 

"What's that?" Joseph asked, peering at the papers as Victoria flipped through them, chasing the barest hint of a memory. She'd collected it because of the paper dealt in part with topics relating to schizotypy and had been published by one of Staple's many co-authors. While she, personally, did not think the material relevant to Orwell's condition, the possibility that the doctor might was why she'd noted it. Pulling the sheet out, she moved to the table and motioned for him to take a seat with her. Together they stared at the paper, Victoria nervously rubbing her lips and Joseph squinting to lean in and read.

 

"I think this can help," she said, nodding to herself. "You said the doctor believes she needs to avoid his touch, yes?" Tapping the paper, she nodded again. "She probably believes this, then. Which is bizarre, let me say, and extremely worrisome, but perhaps useful. Anyone who takes this sort of thing seriously has got to be exceptionally paranoid about a number of things." Here she gestured to include the folder and it's various hints of potential malpractice and fringe scientific theories.

 

Joseph picked up the paper and was now holding it closer as if that would better aid him in comprehending it. "I don't understand, what is this?" He looked at her, confused. "I don't understand what you're suggesting."

 

With a wave of her hand, Victoria huffed in frustration. "It's not the whole paper, I can get that for you if you want, but the abstract right there makes it quite clear. The electrochemical subsystems related to sensory input in some schizophrenic individuals has been traced to external stimuli. And when you combine it with this," here she dug through the folder again, extracting yet another sheet of dense text. "The expression of internal state via bioelectric signals throughout the integumentary system... I mean, it's exactly what you said." Joseph peered at her and she ran a nervous hand through her hair, ignoring him. "I should have known... I'm a terrible person for ignoring this," she muttered as the familiar feeling of guilt settled over her. She'd been so focused on helping Orwell, of warning him about what the doctor might do to him, that she'd failed to look at the bigger picture. This wasn't just the doctor tormenting her friend, this was systematic research being done on several unique individuals who clearly were not able to defend themselves.

 

Looking up, she stared at the nervous man next to her. "We have to help," she said.

 

"Thank you- I mean, yes!" Joseph appeared to take comfort with this proclamation but was still a little overwhelmed. "This... is a lot to take in." He set down the paper he held and begin to leaf through the pages in the folder after receiving a nod to do so. "All of these... how long have you been collecting them? Have you spoken to my father? Is this why he wanted me to talk to you?" He paused on one of Dr Staple's papers, scanning it. "This is insane. Is she really doing this?" Victoria felt a wave of relief as it became clear Joseph was quicker to see the big picture than Ms Price had been.

 

"I've not met your father, though I had been visiting with Mr. Glass," Joseph raised his eyebrows at that, only glancing up briefly before being distracted by another page. "I've been visiting Orwell- that is, Patient Crumb- for a couple months now. I'd say it didn't take long for the situation to... pique my interest. Orwell's well being is," she bit her lip as a physical attempt to damn up the flow of words before they could spill out. Joseph didn't seem to mind, still flipping through the papers, as she paused to collect herself before trying again. "Orwell's well being is of great concern to me. So far I've been viewing all of this through a lense of how it impacts him. It never occured to me that your father would also be... involved. I apologize." He waved off her words but it didn't alleviate the feeling that weighed her down.

 

Sighing heavily, she slumped forward on the table, resting her chin on both fists. "And now he's gone and thrown his lot with them... Fascinating. Something really must be going on there. If only we knew what." Joseph agreed, lamenting the fact that neither of them could now get in. "Well I for one refuse to just... accept that. If only we could keep seeing them. In most my meetings with both Mr. Glass and...," she stumbled here slightly before gulping and pressing on. "And patient Crumb I feel we're able to exchange some information. They clearly both have appreciated what information I've, ah, 'provided' them. We're never going to figure out what she's up to without resuming visitation rights."

 

Nodding in agreement, Joseph leaned back and rubbed his hands together. "Do you think Ms. Price can help us?" Recalling her words over dinner, Victoria shook her head sadly. "What if we confront Dr. Staple with what you've found? Threaten to go to the press with it?" Again, Victoria shook her head.

 

"I believe Ms Price when she says dealing with Dr Staple alone will do no good. But I refuse to believe there's nothing we can do." She worried at her lip for a bit, thinking. "I mean, at the end of the day, she's still just a woman doing her job... And all jobs are the same," this remark was somewhat offhand but spoken with certainty. "And I know for a fact when I do something one of the patrons doesn't like... they complain to my boss." Here her head came up, her eyes wide. "And that's exactly what I'll do! She has to report to someone, you don't get put in charge of something like that by accident or on a whim. And you're right. Given how wild these papers are, I'm certain that they wouldn't want this sort of information just leaking about, regardless of whether they too believe them or not."

 

This time Joseph was grinning when she looked up at him.

* * *

Victoria stood outside the door, arms wrapped tightly around herself and the folder she held. The murmur of voices from behind the heavy wood could just barely be heard. With each lull she tensed, but the conversation would resume again. Chewing her lip, she looked up and down the hallway, praying that her good luck would hold.

 

She could do this. Nodding to herself, she tried to repeating the mantra a number of times in her head. "I can do this," she even whispered aloud in a desperate attempt to bolster her confidence. Somehow ambushing an influential board member of a shadowy medical institution didn't seem to overlap much with her existing skill set. Again she craned her neck, looking about, worried someone would see her and know she wasn't supposed to be there.

 

This wasn't going to work. And it especially wasn't going to work if she presented her case in her current state. The plan had seemed so good when she and Joseph had gone over it in her living room yesterday but now that she was on site it seemed there was no way this was going to work out. Since when had she ever been able to talk someone into doing something they weren't interested in doing? Drawing a shaky breath, she tried to re-frame the problem. That was something she was familiar with. If you can't change your objective, then change your approach.

 

Back in college she had a friend who had frequently contacted professors and department heads to negotiate for better grades and forgiveness on late materials. Victoria pondered how Samaira would handle this problem but then shook her head. Samaira would have flirted or charmed her way to success and that wasn't really an option for Victoria.

 

Thinking hard, she tried to imagine how Orwell would handle the situation. While he'd have no problem walking right up to some important administrator and launching straight into all the details she winced at the idea. This unfortunately required a slightly more delicate touch than that. Without intending to, she imagined what Dennis's approach would no doubt be- cold and disapproving, with a menacing air about him. She snorted and quickly looked around again, worried someone had heard her. While he would perhaps be effective, she doubted she could muster a menacing aura even if she were brandishing a knife.

 

The idea of Patricia's approach was interesting though. She reminded her of a number of her mother's college friends. Posh British women who would visit when they'd flown in for conferences or fundraisers. Poised, confident, and respectable. Nodding to herself, Victoria drew herself up and straightened her shoulders. Yes, that was a helpful thought. What would Patricia do?

 

The door opened suddenly and she quickly stepped back, eyes widening. As expected, neither man noticed her as they bid farewell to each other. She waited a moment, the guest disappearing down the hall, and almost lost her nerve but managed to make her move before it was too late.

 

"Dr. Madison?" she asked the man as he returned to his office, door already beginning to close. Naturally he looked mildly alarmed to see her. "My name is Victoria Varati and I'm here to speak to you about some... recent activities at the Reynolds Hospital." Somehow she'd managed to compress the request, discarding any apologies for interrupting or pleas for him to see her, and it came out far more ominous than expected. To perhaps both their surprise he nodded and opened the door for her to enter.

 

Doing her best to mimic Patricia's composure, she stepped into the office. The door closed behind them.

* * *

"I don't care," he ground out from between clenched teeth. "What part of 'by the book' did I not make clear?"

 

Ellie clenched her fists and swallowed the rest of her argument. The degree of his furry didn't make sense and she was not prepared to effectively handle it at the moment. What on earth had her team been reporting behind her back? Frustration welled up inside her to be so undermined. Unable to stop herself she said, "As their doctor-"

 

A hand came down firmly on the table and she jumped. At no point had he offered her a seat so she stood before him for this dressing down. "Let's be honest here, Ellie," he said in an angry voice, the use of her first name such an obvious ploy to diminish her that she felt an urge to roll her eyes. "You were not brought into this project for your psychotherapy skills. I told you before that the board is behind you on this and remains extremely interested in your work. But it has been months now and no notable progress has been made." A furious stare forestalled her attempt to point out what had been achieved so far. "We are all excited for the breakthroughs that will no doubt come from this, but it will take time. You can't throw caution, and regulations, to the wind and expect to sprint to the finish line. This sort of work can take years. People will start to notice if there are too many exceptions."

 

Shaking his sleeve from his wrist, he checked the digital watch that peeked out from his cuff. "I have a conference call now, so I'll make this short. Stop making a scene at in that ward of yours if you want to keep running it. Proceed with your work but try to at least resemble a respectable department of the institution. The trouble Ms. Price caused us last year was expensive to make go away and I want no more issues of that sort going forward. This was supposed to be an 'under the radar' operation. If you can't manage that, I'm sure we can find someone who will."

* * *

 

As his mother sat down across from him, neatly brushing a stray lock of white back into place, Elijah couldn't keep the surprised expression from his face.  "Well this is interesting," he croaked, his voice cracking from disuse. It'd only been a couple days but Elijah had not been prepared for how difficult their protest would be. He was not a man used to keeping so silent.

 

"What is?" his mother asked, eyebrow arching. Holding out the weekly comic to him, she looked entirely unperturbed. She'd arrived at her usual time on her usual day but from repeated threats by the doctor in the days leading up to it he'd been certain she'd be turned away. Victoria's date of visit and come and gone without any sight of the woman. As frustrating as that had been, it'd lead to one of his favorite group therapy sessions yet.

 

All three of them had sat in stoney, silent defiance before the doctor. He had no idea what game David was playing with the woman- that it put him on the same side as Dennis and himself was all that mattered. Consciously or not, they'd taken to mirroring each other's posture for the entire session. When one moved the others had repositioned themselves not too long after. Elijah was rather certain the two other men hadn't been aware of it but he'd revelled in the unity of it all.

 

Looking down at the issue she'd provided him, Elijah smiled. "The delight of your wonderful company," he said, ever mindful of the doctor's presence across the room from him. "It's just been quite a week..."

* * *

 

The sound of the door unlocking surprised him but he decided to finish his current set as his own personal form of protest. The Horde had encouraged them all to demonstrate in whatever way possible how unaffected they were by the doctor and hospital in general. Revenge through better living was what Mary called it. Sweat dripping onto the floor, Luke lowered and then pushed himself back up again. The idea struck him more as just generally being a grade A asshole, but he was fine with that.

 

"Patient Crumb?" he could hear the irritation in the doctor's voice and grinned to himself as he did another pushup. "If you wouldn't mind... you have a visitor."

 

Looking up, he met the wide eyes of Victoria. Scrambling to his feet, he stared at her in equal shock before looking over to the doctor. The woman looked pissed, that was sure, but she didn't elaborate further. Two orderlies deposited the usual chairs for such sessions and she moved to her position at the back of the room, taking a seat. Victoria didn't move from where she stood in the room's doorway, she just kept staring at him as a blush began to overtake her.

 

"Victoria, please step into the room so the guards may secure the door. Luke, yes? A shirt would not be amiss, if you wouldn't mind?" Flashing a grin to both women, he pulled back on his hospital top in no particular hurry. As his head popped out through the collar he caught his guest blatantly staring at his abs before she ducked her head and hurried to her chair. His amusement at this was cut short by a stabbing pain shooting through his head. The damage from this morning's session with the lights still lingered.

 

Spinning the seat around, Luke straddled it as he too sat. Draping his arms over the back of the chair he managed to grin at this Victoria he'd heard so much about. "Thought we weren't getting guests any more," he said without taking his eyes off the mousy woman. That earned him a quick look from her, there was something in her expression but he had no idea what it meant, and she looked back down again too soon.

 

"Treatment is a constantly evolving process," the doctor said cooly. Their protest hadn't even lasted a full week. No doubt Dennis and some of the others would be suspicious or curious, but Luke didn't particularly care. He introduced himself to Victoria and they went through the the motions of a basic introduction. When she handed him the book she brought, he thanked her but didn't pay it much attention. Unlike the others, who were all surprisingly way more into books than he would have guessed, the thing held very little appeal to him. The woman was interesting but the intermittent pain behind his eyes made it hard to really focus on, let alone enjoy, her company. He certainly tried though.

 

She didn't appear offended when he confessed to not really having read anything she'd brought them. When prompted for something he would like to see she was quite receptive to his suggestion of sports news. Promises of Eagles' game summaries wouldn't really make him more likely to read but he didn't bother telling her that. He ignored her babbling on about something regarding the athletic capacity of the human body, choosing instead to try and massage his temples. The throbbing was getting worse, not better.

 

He was about to ask how she'd convinced the doctor to let her visit when she hit him with the inevitable. She begged him to let her speak to Orwell. Unfortunately he knew the others would be pissed if he confessed outright to being unable to do so. He agreed it was important for the doctor to not grasp the extent of the effect those lights had on them. Trying to beg off, he claimed vaguely that Dennis would stop him.

 

"Please?" she pleaded, catching her lip briefly in her teeth. "Could you just... try? I don't think Dennis would mind as much any more..." Luke sighed. He'd been warned about this but was still surprised by the desperation he saw there. It also did sort of hurt a little. He had nothing against Orwell, but he didn't like being reduced to anyone's messenger boy.

 

"I... I don't know." He struggled. This morning's 'treatment' now seemed more brutal than usual. His head was still ringing but when he tried to reach out past it, he sensed someone reaching out back towards him. Perhaps it was Orwell, or, more likely, Patricia straining to spend time with their guest. Yes, there seemed to be an intensity to it and Luke choked back a snicker. Who would have guessed the old lady was such a cougar.  With a swift once over of their guest he considered the appeal but didn't really see it. Luke was feeling generous and also didn't mind missing out on the lingering headache so with a smile to the woman before him, he stepped out of the Light and let the other claim it.

 

The book in his lap clattered to the floor and the chair tipped forward. Victoria had only time to widen her eyes in surprise before a hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. Behind her, Dr Staple screamed but the woman in his grip could only struggle mutely as the Beast lifted her. Nails raked his skin to no effect. With a casual toss, he threw her against the wall.  Striking it hard, she left a trail of blood she slid to the floor. The door had flung open and pathetic men with guns had streamed in, now they circled the other woman who had leapt out of her chair.

 

The Beast narrowed his eyes and growled but a not so faint roar in his ears caused him to shake his head, distracting him. The sort of pain that flashed through him was new and hurt more than any injury sustained so far.

 

Shaking it off, he looked up just in time to see the door slam shut behind them. With a snarl he leapt to the door and brought both fists down against it in a ringing strike. It didn't buckle. He raised his arms again, irritated but undaunted by this temporary obstacle, when he heard a groan behind him. Turning, he watched as the woman pushed herself off the floor and limped forward, clearly in a daze. With slow, stalking steps, he approached and circled.

 

Twisting, her attempts to keep facing him sent her stumbling back. Before she could fall again, he reached out and caught her a second time by the neck. He inhaled deeply, snaking his head across her chest and then up to where he gripped her throat.

 

"Another offering," he rumbled, licking his jaws. "I have been waiting so long..." Feebly she tried to bat at him. He shook her and was irritated when she grasped ahold of the wrist that held her. Against his hand he could feel her attempt to work her jaw and he increased the pressure of his grip slightly.

 

"Be still, Impure, and revel in the power before you. You are one of the fortunate ones." He brought his other hand up to grip the blouse she wore and yanked. The richly patterned fabric tore easily.  He gazed at the convulsing torso before him and dragged curled fingers over her now bare stomach. Thin trickles of blood oozed from the path he traced. By far the most unsuitable offering that had been provided to him, his hunger forced him to overlook a few undesirable attributes.

 

"Know you are in the presence of something greater," he growled, raising her high up. Stepping forward, he pressed the woman against the wall, pinning her such that her stomach twisted and fluttered before his hungry gaze. "Know that you never had a chance," he breathed, lips pulling back as he opened his mouth wide.

 

She continued to kick weakly and a hand dropped limply off his arm. A happy rumble echoed through his chest. Now was the time to feast. He enjoyed his offerings to be worn down, too limp to really struggle but with just enough life left to twitch while he consumed their flesh.

 

The door behind him burst open.

* * *

 

The door slammed shut behind her. It was happening, it was really happening! There was a sound of heavy impact against the door and they all collectively flinched. Quickly Dr. Staple and most the guards moved down the hall several feet.

 

Her heart raced, in part from the brush with danger but also at the thrill of data they would soon be able to collect. "I want a team of five to hold-"

 

"Jesus Christ, she's still alive in there," one of the guards cried, face pressed against the door's window.

 

Ellie compressed her lips together in a frown. 'So what' was on the tip of her tongue but she managed to restrain herself. Time both lurched forward rapidly and seemed to simultaneously drag slowly. She looked up at one of the cameras in the hallway and hesitated. This video footage would be analyzed for years to come. Today marked the beginning of all the breakthroughs she'd make by studying this Beast and how he differed from the rest of Kevin's personalities. They would soon be cracking the secrets of mind over matter. It would therefore be best to not be caught on film essentially condoning murder.

 

"We have to go back in there," another guard said, far too devoted to the cause. Ellie's eyes widened as the man put a hand on one of the locks they'd just set.

 

"Don't terminate the patient," she cried and started to back further away from the door. "Non-lethal force only." Turning, she gestured for the guards who still surrounded her, just like they had practiced in the drills, to follow her.

 

They took off jogging as they heard the door open behind them. There was gun fire and another of the guards stopped, turning back. Where was these idiots' sense of self preservation? Ellie started sprinting.

 

The screaming began as she turned a corner. More gunfire and a loud sound of an impact echoed behind them. Frantically she punched in the security code to her lab door and practically tumbled into the office. She was actually knocked to the floor and one of the guards stepped on her hand in their collective surge towards safety. The door slammed closed and she was helped up. Glaring at all of them, unsure who the owner of the boot was, she tried to think of what one says at a time like this.

 

"Doctor Staple?" A voice over the intercom on her desk cracked. Holding her hand to her chest, she hurried to the desk and established contact with the rest of her team, down the hall.

 

"How are the readings? What's he doing?" she asked over the line, fumbling with the keyboard one handed as she tried to bring up the video feeds.

 

Beautiful dancing real time signal appeared on the dashboard. Or at least some of it did. Half of the direct video feed from the room was dark. There was enough coverage though to see at least three bodies on the floor, one of which was obviously Victoria. In the hallway she could see the crumpled form of the idiotic guard who had turned back. Leaning in, unable to zoom further, she was scrutinizing the empty hallway when the screen was suddenly filled with the bloody face of her patient. She shrieked and jumped back, unable to help herself, and the feed went dark an instant later.

 

"What the fuck?" One of the guards behind her breathed, the lot of them having crowded around behind her to also watch.

 

"Guard the door," she commanded but was unable to tear her eyes from the screen.

 

"He's climbing the fucking walls," another one whispered.

 

One by one, Ellie watched as the camera feeds down the hall went black, only occasionally catching sight of Kevin a second or two before it happened.

 

"Oh God," one of her team gasped over the line. "Doctor, he's headed to the other patients' rooms."

 

On some of the few remaining monitors, she could see both David and Elijah were alet in their rooms, both watching their respective door.

 

"They should be fine," she replied, just as the door to Elijah's room disappeared from view.

 

"Holy shit," someone behind her said.

 

With a shaking hand, she enabled the audio for the room just in time to catch Mr. Price speaking.

 

"- a pleasure to finally meet you," he was saying. The growl he got in response reverberated from the speakers and seemed almost as if to fill her entire office. On the screen, they could see Kevin step into the room. He filled the doorway, pausing to look about. The man's movements and posture was completely unrecognizable. Lightening quick, he reached up to grip the archway of the door and hauled himself up and out of the camera's frame.

 

"What?" Ellie cried. "No no no no." The different feeds, not all of them just video, began to go dark one by one.

 

"Initiate Epsilon protocol," she shouted to her team down over the microphone.

 

"We can't!" The voice on the other end cried. "They're in the same room now. The dosage needed to take down the patients is not in alignment. You'll kill patient Price if we pump in enough to stop patient Crumb."

 

Ellie swore. "Why didn't you activate it before?"

 

The line was quiet for a moment. "You didn't order us too, doctor."

 

It took five long, tense minutes before anyone could come up with a plan.

* * *

 

Victoria had no idea how long she'd been unconscious. Everything hurt and it took her a moment to remember why.

 

There was an alarm blaring somewhere in the background and she pushed herself up to lean against the wall. Wide eyes rolling, she looked around the room. While she saw everything, it took her time to process and understand what she was looking at. The first thing she noticed was the book. It lay on the ground, spread open, the pages hungrily soaking up the blood that pooled around it. Following the blood lead her to the slumped form of a guard.

 

"Oh no," she tried to say, but her voice caught the moment she started to speak. It felt like shards of glass had been lodged in her throat. She tried to cough and that doubled her over in pain.

 

Blinking back tears, Victoria placed a hand on the wall to brace herself. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. She hurt all over and imagined that passing out at this point wouldn't be so bad. Though the urge to just give up was nearly overwhelming, she knew what she had to do.

 

Walking her hands up the wall, she struggled to her feet. Or at least she tried to. Her legs buckled and she fell forward against the cold concrete surface. There was a long thin streak of blood running down it, just next to where her cheek pressed. Carefully she touched the back of her head and her fingers came away damp. Yes, that was her blood on the wall.

 

Nausea washed over her and she let herself slide back to the floor. Not giving up, Victoria opted to crawl to the guard. The floor was slippery and warm beneath her palms and knees and she tried not to think about it.

 

Though she was fearful of spinal injuries it didn't stop her from rolling the guard onto his back when she reached him. A small desperate animal noise escaped the back of her throat though she kept her jaw locked and dared not actually cry out. The Beast was still out there, somewhere, the pain such a sound would cause seemed unfathomable. The mauled guard before her would have been also been unfathomable not moments ago. Now she'd doubt she'd ever be able to forget the sight of his shredded throat and partially flayed face.

 

With a shaking hand she reached out and tried to feel a pulse though she wound up simply pressing her fingers into the raw exposed meat that remained of his neck. Numbly, she moved to the next guard she'd only just noticed laying several feet closer to the door. Every inch that brought her closer to the exist, and therefore presumably the Beast, felt like steps taken towards death.

 

This one's neck appeared to be mostly intact though the jaw above it was... disturbingly lumpy. Her stomach roiled as she again placed bloody fingers to find a pulse and didn't know if she was relieved or disturbed to find one, faint as it was.  Looking down she saw blood seeping from his thigh. There didn't appear to be any bite marks or surrounding tissue damage, just a hole that needed to be plugged.

 

Numbly, Victoria looked around before dropping her gaze to her own battered torso. The four gashes across her stomach had been shallow and barely seemed to be bleeding now. She squeezed her eyes shut for just a moment as she struggled again against nausea. Orwell's face was there, behind her eyes. Eyes nearly black as she'd never seen them before. Teeth... she needed to not think about those teeth if she was going to be of any use here. Her eyes opened. Somehow the horror before her was better than what lurked in her memory. This one at least could be addressed.

 

Shrugging off her torn blouse, she twisted it and quickly formed and applied a tourniquet to the wound. She'd read a book about this before and her eyes fluttered as she struggled to recall details. Elevation, elevation was important. As Victoria wrestled the guard into what she considered a more life-saving position, she recalled illustrations that had accompanied the text. Such diagrams were always so neatly done in black and white line work. Feeling a tickle of hair on her cheek, she brushed the strand away and left a streak of red behind. All those little black and white pictures, she thought as she struggled with the leg, really failed to convey the reality of the situation. Everything was soaked in blood which certainly complicated things and those illustrations had never suggested what a mess it would be.

 

Looking down at the man under her hands she tried to recall where to apply pressure. This was really quite ridiculous, she thought numbly. She had no idea what to do. Blindly she reached down and pressed at where she guessed the femoral artery was under thick layers of soaked fabric. The first think she was doing when she got back to work was to order some up to date field medic texts for the library.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was... long. Next chapter is "Ramifications" and while it sadly wont be as long it should be just as interesting? I hope there's a sense of forward momentum to the story so far. Am trying to shuffle characters about but it's so easy to get distracted with fascinating little conversations between them...
> 
> Shout out to reader "Tk Ok", it's nice to know someone other than myself enjoys the story :)


	6. Ramifications

"I'm confused," he said very carefully. "Why did you return?"

 

Victoria looked somewhat taken aback by the question, "Why wouldn't I?"

 

Dennis gestured to the bruises that ringed her neck. They'd faded by this point to mostly a sickly yellow, though there were still patches of green here and there. Victoria blushed, the skin around the hand print also turning red, making the whole thing look even worse. She brought a hand to her neck but didn't touch it. "Sorry about that. I've been wearing scarf these past couple of days to cover it but security wouldn't let me bring it through...

 

"Sorry?" he asked. The ridiculousness of the statement almost made him angry. "Why are you sorry?". Pushing his glasses up a fraction, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You were almost killed last week, right here in this room. Are you crazy? Why did you come back?"

 

While she didn't shrink from his wrath, he could tell it hurt her.

 

"The Beast attacked me, yes," she whispered, "but that was always a known risk. There was a waiver I signed back during the first visit that made everything very clear. Dennis, we are in a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane.  I've been visiting for months now. The Beast has done far worse to others, I don't see why this would change anything..." Her wounded look only stoked his frustration. How could she be so foolish? "If you don't want me to come back-" she started to say with a wobbly voice.

 

It was obvious Patricia wanted the Light. While she didn't actively struggle to take it from him, her presence was certainly known. Dennis glared at the timid woman in front of him. "You're angry at me," she stated more than asked.

 

"Yes." He ran a hand quickly over his scalp and scowled further at the bristle he encountered there. "I just don't understand. Clearly we can't protect you from him. It's dangerous for you to be here." Victoria blinked at him. "Surely you know that," he said, trying to imbue what he said with extra meaning.

 

"I know that," she eventually said. "I mean, it's been rather dangerous the whole time, hasn't it? Forgive me, I'm just confused as to why you'd be angry about it now...?"

 

"Forgive me," he mimicked under his breath. She'd been smuggling them various texts about the dangerous and experimental treatments the doctor wanted to perform on them. How could she not piece together that now they had started it was unsafe for her to be here? Was the woman not reading what she'd been providing them? Again he felt the insistence of Patricia and with a disgusted exhale he stepped out of the Light. Maybe she'd be able to explain the insanity of this all to the woman.

 

"Thank you, Dennis," Patricia murmured. Reaching up she removed the glasses before crossing her legs and placing folded hands atop her knee. "I'm sorry, Victoria, don't take Dennis's anger the wrong way. He's just worried for you. We all were. It wasn't even clear for a period of time there if you'd even survived the... encounter." At this she shot a glare towards the doctor at the back of the room.

 

After they'd been subdued there had been a period of time under heavy sedation which hadn't been so bad. It was when the drugs wore off and no one answered their questions that the unease had set in. That had been a truly terrible period of time. Though the recollection was hazy, Patricia could recall the Beast's hand wrapped around Victoria's neck and the sight of her exposed flesh when he pinned her to the wall. He'd spoken to her, that she knew, though no one could recall what had been said. Victoria crumpling to the floor was the last they'd seen of her.

 

The knowledge that she still lived preceded her arrival by only about twenty minutes.

 

Brows furrowed, Victoria looked concerned. "You didn't know? I'm sorry, that must have been," she bit her lip and seemed to reconsider something. "Must have been unpleasant."

 

"Unpleasant? My dear, you sell yourself short. We were all worried sick that you'd been hurt or... worse."

 

Victoria blushed and ducked her head. "I'm lucky," she whispered. "I just have a couple scratches and bruises. Poor Earl had his jaw wired shut and suffered some severe internal bleeding and... And, well, Jacob didn't make it. His funeral is tomorrow."

 

There was a pause before Patricia carefully asked, "Who?"

 

This seemed to surprise her visitor. She gestured to where the attack had happened, just on the other side of the room. Patricia avoided looking in the direction. Only the doors had been fixed immediately. Then the cameras. The blood had been scrubbed away at some point, though it hadn't been right away. Patricia had stared at it for half an afternoon. Belatedly she wondered if Dennis and not the hospital staff had been responsible for it's removal. "Jacob Gibbons and Earl Kimmel? The guards who saved me? They've been working here this entire time."

 

"Ah," Patricia responded nodding to herself. Of course dear little Victoria would worry herself about such insignificant individuals. She possessed such a bleeding heart. It was, after all, no doubt the reason she kept returning to visit. Even now she was babbling about the service which she intended to attend and something about a grieving widow. Patricia made the appropriate sympathetic sounds and nodded.

 

"What happened?" Victoria eventually asked. "After I... After he..  moved on."

 

Patricia offered a dismissive shrug. "We were captured again," was all she said. There was no need to speak of the details. Of the Beast's failure, once again, to escape from David Dunn's grasp. The doctor had let the man out, eventually, in an effective ploy to distract the Beast. The two had battled, almost crushing Elijah before the brawl had spilled back out into the hall. So consumed and distracted by the fight, neither had been prepared for the onslaught of tranquilizers they'd been shot full of by the guards. 

 

There'd been no group therapy this week. 

 

"Please know that I never wanted the Beast to hurt you," Patricia said. She didn't exactly feel guilty but it seemed important to her that Victoria held no ill will against them, though it would be understandable if she did.

 

"Of course not," she hastened to assure her. "Why would you?" There was a pause. "Wait, did Dennis want him to hurt me?"

 

"No no no," Patricia said before she thought to add. "None of us did. The Beast, he just... has his own mind in regards to these things." She was loathed to speak of him in front of the doctor but it was so important that Victoria understand.

 

"These things?"

 

"Well with regards to the Impure."

 

Victoria again reached up and almost touched her throat, clearly haunted by a memory. "He... he called me that." Patricia nodded sympathetically. She hardly needed the Beast's judgement to have reached such a conclusion. Patricia bit her lip and realized her heart was racing. That this wisp of a woman before her was Impure was undeniable. Soft hands and heart, clearly never having suffered much in her life. Patricia assumed the greatest accident to befall her was a bottle of spilled ink. Reaching up, she lightly pressed a finger to the corner of her eye, wiping away a spot of moisture.  Before she would have said that she and the Beast were of the same mind in regards to the Impure but lately Patricia thought there might be a case for an exception or two. Clearly the Beast was not amenable to such ideas yet. 

 

"Oh, Victoria, dear. There's no question he'd kill you given the chance. I'm sorry," She flashed a weak smile and drew a breath. "It's complicated, you understand? But I will keep trying to explain it to him. I really do think you're an exception."

 

The woman seemed to be made uncomfortable by this and Patricia laughed, dabbing away the remaining tears that had half formed. It didn't seem possible for little Victoria to more literally embody the ideal of one of the Beast's sacrifices but Patricia knew she was different. Perhaps she understood now the fondness Dennis had felt towards that Dr. Fletcher woman. It felt so nice to be understood and respected and cared for by someone outside themselves for once. Yes, the woman currently looked incredibly unhappy in that horrid plastic chair but Patricia knew she cared. The continued visits and thoughtful gifts and polite conversations showed the sweet creature for what she was. It'd be a shame if the Beast got ahold of her. Understandable, but such a waste.

 

Patricia enjoyed more of their guest's visit but did eventually, reluctantly yield to Orwell. Hovering close, she made sure that there was no further hint or suggestion that would discouraging the woman from visiting them again.

* * *

The service had been long, the benches uncomfortable, and the whole thing heavy with the sort of religious beliefs that made her uneasy. As soon as it was socially acceptable, Victoria had quickly made her way to the exit. Her plan to flee was aborted however when she took a sudden detour upon spotting a shelf further in the church packed with old looking books. Running a finger over series of beautiful spines, she sighed happily. Here was one thing she'd always be able to agree with churches on. It seemed like institutions of all faiths universally produced and collected some of the most amazing texts.

 

"Ms. Varati?" A voice asked from behind her, and Victoria froze. "Victoria Varati?" It was the same inquiring tone that Ms Price and Joseph had used. That same tone Dr Staple and the cop had used. She could almost feel the inevitable bad luck that followed such an introduction.

 

In a moment of weakness, she took several hurried steps away. Yes, she fled the question. "Wait!" she heard as she rounded a corner. Victoria made it another step, then two, before a feeling of guilt locked her in place. She was at the funeral of a man who had died protecting her. There was no way she could run away from something as simple as someone asking her name.

 

Before she could turn to confront her bad luck, it ran straight into her in the form of a young woman. With an "oofph!" Victoria stumbled several steps, catching herself against another bookshelf. Her arm twinged and the aches from her encounter with the Beast flared up. The pain recalled the encounter and she felt her heart begin to race at the very memory of it.

 

"I'm so sorry!" The woman, girl really, said as she held out a hand. "Please, I didn't mean to frighten you, I just had some questions..."

 

Victoria ducked her head, touching her scarf to make sure it was still in place. "I'm not talking to the press. I've nothing to say, I'm sorry." There had been a couple reporters in the days directly following the incident at the hospital. She'd flatly refused to talk to them. They'd given up hassling her rather quickly when it becomes clear Mrs Gibbons was keen to talk to anyone and everyone who would listen about her husband's attack, his working conditions, the hospitals benefits that his death had left her with, and every scrap of gossip she'd heard regarding his work there. With that gold mine to work with her reluctance made her quite a low priority.

 

"No, no, I'm not with the press," The girl looked around and then took a step closer. Victoria took an accompanying step back. "I just wanted to talk to you," she said. There was something in her voice that implied... something. Victoria couldn't tell what. The memory of her dinner with Ms Price flashed through mind. Was this perhaps one of those... fans?

 

Something must have been evident on her face because the girl added, "I won't take up much of your time, please. I just have a couple questions." 

 

"I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you," There was a franticness and intensity to her that frightened Victoria and there was still the hovering feeling of bad luck looming. She took another couple steps back but the girl stepped forward to grip her arm before she could turn.

 

"Please," she repeated with a desperate intensity. "They say you escaped the Beast. That he let you live-"

 

"I don't want to talk about it, please, whoever you are, just leave me alone." She tried to pull her arm out of the girl's grip but it tightened further.

 

"Whoever I am?" she asked, confusion replacing desperation. "My name is Casey Cooke. I'm Casey Cooke."

 

"Oooooohhh....." Victoria breathed. The unlucky feeling crested over her, crashing down and mixed with more feelings of guilt. Of course she'd seen pictures of the girl, now that she thought about it.  If she hadn't been so on edge, trying to avoid reporters, she surely would have recognized her. At least, she hoped she would have. The media had primarily focused on the tragic narrative of Claire. Marcia had been a distant second. Casey Cooke herself had been legally protected from the initial intense scrutiny of the press due to her age. Her name and details beyond just a picture had not reached the public till some viral video leaked from her high school a month later. Victoria hadn't paid much attention at the time, at that point she'd been trying to avoid anything and everything that reminded her of Orwell's ongoing murder spree. 

 

"I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you," she stammered. "Yes, of course, we can speak although..." She glanced around the church's interior and out a window. There were a number of people still drifting out from the service or loitering near cars. No one seemed to be paying them much attention but she was certain the last thing she wanted was some intrepid reporter snapping a picture of them together. 

 

Casey tucked her hands in jean pockets. "We could go somewhere to talk, but I didn't drive. Don't have a car..."

 

Victoria smiled weakly at her. "Me either, took the bus... Do you want... Hmmm, my place isn't that far away, do you want to follow me there? I've a lovely collection of teas," she offered weakly, realizing that inviting a teenager that she didn't even know back to her place probably registered as odd. Another week, another stranger invited into her home. "Or Starbucks. I'm sure we could go to a Starbucks and talk. It's too bad the libraries are closed by now..." 

 

Thankfully Casey looked relieved rather than creeped out when she nodded. "That sounds great, yeah. I don't think I'd feel comfortable talking at a cafe or anything..." She rubbed her arms and looked appropriately awkward. Surprised and perhaps a bit unnerved to have her invitation accepted, Victoria suggested they actually take a Lyft back to her place and pulled out her phone. Given she was already unbearably uncomfortable now she was sure fifteen minutes on a public bus in awkward silence with this young woman would be the death of her. 

* * *

"I can't believe it," David muttered in disgust "I go out of my way to help you and what do you do? What is the first thing you do? You attack this friend of yours and murder a guard?"

 

Dennis worked his jaw but said nothing. He was angry at the man for having beaten the Beast and he was angry at the man for being right. While group therapy had resumed this week and they'd attended several days already, this was the first in which Dennis made an appearance. He wondered if the man had berated everyone or had just saved up his wrath for Dennis in particular. "I didn't murder the guard," he eventually said and immediately regretted it. It sounded childish, something Hedwig would say.

 

"Okay, fine then. Passive voice. I help you and your friend gets beat to shit and a guard was killed." Dennis bit his lip and jerked his head to the side, stung by the words. "Joseph said he saw her the day after. Not only do I feel like an idiot for helping you but now my son feels guilty as well. I can't believe I got him involved in this."

 

"It wasn't supposed to happen," he snapped. "We never meant to hurt Victoria. The doctor's machine. It affects..." he struggled with himself. On one hand he was loathed to explain anything in front of the doctor who, as usual, sat before them soaking up everything they said. On the other hand David was right. He'd gone out on a limb to help them, never mind that they hadn't asked for it, and in return deserved at least some explanation. Not that Dennis or any of them really had one. "None of us expected the Beast to arrive. We didn't sense him coming and when we tried to stop him, he wouldn't listen."

 

"Oh, great. That's great to hear. So rather than intentionally killing people you're just... what? Accidently killing them now? Should we be worried? Why am I the only one wearing shackles here?" David lifted his hands which once again rattled with chains. "This guy here is the one that just murdered someone on your staff. Why isn't he in chains? What's to stop him from just flipping out right now and attacking us all?" Dennis squeezed his eyes shut, a pained expression on his face. He hated the questions because they were the exact ones that had been racing through his mind ever since the attack. 

 

Calmly Dr Staple jotted a note in her book. "Well we've established that Elijah is safe from the Beast," she replied smoothly. "And you've proven yourself quite capable at defending yourself. So really I'm the only one in danger at the moment and I appreciate your concern, David." The man sneered at her and the chains rattled again. "Luckily we have hired additional staff, more experienced contractors from external sources." She tipped her head to the far more intimidating guards that now actively stood along the wall. "And in case you hadn't noticed, I've assembled Kevin's medical device over there for use in the event of an emergency." She gestured to the ring of hateful lights standing further back in the room. David squinted at them, clearly not understanding what he was looking at. 

 

"Should we be concerned about the lights?" Elijah asked carefully. He hadn't spoken since Dennis walked in the room.

 

"No no no, don't worry. They're specifically coded for patient Crumb's physiology," she assured him with a smile.

 

David sat in silence, fuming, from the casual disarming of all his accusations and dismissal of concerns. There was one that still hung unanswered and Dennis was stunned when Patricia spoke, addressing it. "It's our fault," she said, mournfully. Everyone turned to stare at Dennis in shock. "The Beast, he's an animal. And yes, we'd been feeding him, trying to tame him you might say. It was only natural that he'd associate being given the Light in the presence of the Impure with such violence." The startling truth of her words so took him by surprise he didn't try to stop her from speaking. "Unintended side effects... like the bears at Yellowstone," she sighed before retreating. Dennis ran a hand over his scalp, unnerved by what she suggested.

 

The room was silent for a while, everyone processing the information in their own way. "So what?" David asked eventually. "You're saying you fed your friend to the Beast by accident?" Dennis turned to glare at the man. 

 

"Luke was confused," he said defensively, though in truth he was still quite angry at the man for his careless behavior. "The treatment. It confused him, he didn't realize what he was doing. We know better now. It wont happen again." 

 

Elijah continued to watch David closely. Again he wished he could speak to the man privately. No one had been able to recall exactly what he and the Beast had discussed and it seemed as if he hadn't spoken to any of them since the attack.

 

"Fascinating," Dr Staple breathed, writing down another note.

* * *

"You're serious," Casey repeated staring at her with such a shocked expression that Victoria shifted uneasily on the sofa. It wasn't that odd, was it?

 

"I've known him for over seven years!" she said by way of explanation, taking a sip of tea to stall while she gathered up her defenses. "I- I don't have many friends. I mean, I have friends. I just don't have many close friends and while I only saw him every now and then we've grown very close over time." Another sip of tea. She did not mention that despite how close they'd grown, Victoria had been taken entirely by surprise by the news of Orwell's disorder, never mind the whole murder thing. "They wouldn't let me see him at first. They'd talk about him, it was almost- almost like they were taunting me at times."

 

"Dennis, no doubt," Casey muttered under her breath, blowing on her cup and also taking a sip.

 

Victoria flushed, not wanting to admit the girl was right, and continued. "But- but they weren't. Not really. It's all quite complicated, I've come to understand. And things are better now." Casey stared at her. Nervously she reached up and touched the scarf, again assuring herself it was still in place. "I mean, between them at least. And I get to see Orwell when I visit. Sometimes. Although that is sort of what caused... the incident."

 

"The incident," Casey echoed her. Victoria nodded gloomily. "So the Beast...?" the girl prompted when it became clear Victoria had gotten distracted.

 

"Doesn't like me," she said mournfully. "So Patricia tells me."

 

"Patricia," the way Casey spoke her name Victoria immediately got the impression the two hadn't gotten along. She gave herself a quick shake, remembering who she spoke to. Of course they hadn't gotten along. This was one of the first girls they'd kidnapped, fully intending to murder and eat. Unlike the rest, she somehow survived. Which, after meeting Patricia and Dennis, Victoria found quite impressive. The pair seemed so... intense. She couldn't imagine anyone escaping from them under normal circumstances.

 

"Yes. She explained to me that I'm apparently 'Impure', whatever that means, and that the Beast would definitely like to kill me." Victoria took another sip before defensively adding, "Though Patricia says she'd much rather he didn't." Casey gave her a strange look at that.

 

"So you're... not.... Pure?" she asked. The tension that had been coiled within the girl seemed to began to slip away and she slumped slightly, looking depressed.

 

"Apparently not? Though I don't even know what it means." Victoria bit her lip and looked at her guest. Carefully she tried her hand at asking such probing, sensitive questions. "Do you?"

 

Casey bit her lip as well and sat there for a moment. Victoria felt the faintest flash of annoyance. Here she'd shared everything with this young woman and her first question seemed to be rebuffed. Reaching up, Casey tucked her hair behind her ear before leaning over to pour them both more tea. It was a struggle, but Victoria tamped down her hurt feelings as she thanked the girl and brought the cup to her lips. She had to remember that there was about ten years age difference between them. Her experiences with girls Casey's age at the library should have braced her for such behavior. Some youth could be so thoughtless.

 

"Where are you from, Victoria?" she asked, seemingly out of the blue.

 

Still struggling with her annoyance, she found it within herself to answer. "I was raised in California, though my parents were from England. Why?" she asked pointedly. The girl hadn't appeared to be making a racist remark but Victoria was always a little sensitive about the question.

 

"And your parents? What are they like?" The girl wasn't looking at her, just staring into her tea cup. 

 

Victoria bit back and urge to scold the girl on her poor manners. No wonder she and Patricia had clashed. "They were very kind and loving. A banker and a professor," she answered, deciding it was the last one she'd provide. She wondered if the girl was even mindful enough to notice the past tense in her response. Unlikely. 

 

Casey nodded to herself and they sat in silence for a while. "My parents are both dead as well," she eventually said, proving Victoria wrong. "I live with my uncle now." She looked up and Victoria saw a gaze that looked haunted beyond her years. "I don't think Kevin had very kind or loving parents. Well, I mean, we know that now," she said, referring to the the documents leaked early on in the manhunt. "Sometimes growing up with a difficult life, it can be really hard, you know?"

 

Slowly Victoria nodded, more to encourage her to continue than from any personal understanding. Casey sipped her tea before speaking, "When things are hard, for a long time... sometimes something might break. And then you've got something broken. You know, inside you?" She glanced at the woman and then back to the liquid in her cup. "And a lot of times people who have a broken part inside them, they know it. And it hurts. Kevin did. But the Beast... he looks at it, at the brokeness, and he doesn't see it as something bad. Somehow he looks and he sees something better. Something good. I think. I mean, I don't know." She shifted, clearly coming to a halt. Victoria let out a breath and felt as if a spell broke, so enchanted had she been with Casey's words. 

 

"Is... is that what being Pure means?" she asked carefully. Casey looked uncomfortable and shrugged. 

 

"I don't know. I was hoping that you might-" her discomfort increased and neither of them needed her to finish the sentence. 

 

"Why don't you just go ask them?" Victoria felt her question didn't deserve the incredulous look Casey gave her in response to it.

 

"You can't be serious..." With a raised eyebrow by the older woman, Casey backpedaled slightly. "I mean... I went once, back when they were first captured."

 

"Dr. Staple reached out to you I presume?" Casey nodded. "Did she not invite you back a second time?"

 

Casey gnawed on her lip. "I... I didn't think so but...." She rubbed her face and sighed heavily. "Now that I think about it, I remember my uncle yelling at someone on the phone shortly after. I just figured it was a reporter or something..." Muttering darkly to herself, she actually stood up to pace about the room. "I was going to ask, when I was there.... I was talking to Hedwig- have you met him?" Victoria nodded, unable to help but smile a bit before remembering that he'd been one of her captors. "I kept asking him why the Beast had spared me. What it meant. He looked frightened, he kept looking at the doctor and then back to me and then back to the doctor-"

 

"Oh, no no no." Victoria shook her head. "Yes, that would have been a problem. There's a rather strong edict amongst them not to discuss the Beast in front of the doctor. Although now that he... now that..." she swallowed. "Things might be different now. You should go back again and ask."

 

Case looked at her in horror.

* * *

"... so I'm not fired?" Ellie clarified nervously after it was clear Dr. Madison was about to move onto yet another topic, twice already removed from where they'd started. The man blinked and then raised his champagne glass and smiled.

 

"No, no, no, Ellie! We're thrilled by the progress. Really, the sort of footage you recorded was excellent, just the sort of juice to get the grants flowing." Dr. Madison did a sort of side to side groovy wiggle and she wondered how many glasses he'd had. The drink she held remained untouched. The fact she'd been invited to the office party had suggested she wouldn't be fired but it still was a shock to hear him say it.

 

"Let this be a lesson on doing things by the book though," he admonished her, raising his glass to gesture and then to take another sip. Ellie arched her eyebrows in surprise. "You saw the footage. The presence of the woman in combination with the treatment clearly caused the emergence of this 'Beast'" He used his fingers to apply air quotes around the name and almost spilled his drink. "Just think, if you'd let your temper get the best of you and kept her away it'd never have triggered an outburst." He wagged a finger at her but then quickly became distracted by someone behind her. "Angelica!" he cried and pushed past her. 

 

Dr Staple stood in the middle of the crowd and fumed. 

* * *

"Are you certain?" she asked, eyes widening.

 

Elijah continued to nod his head, starting at his steepled fingers. He was certain, but he didn't think he could be certain and meet her gaze at the same time. "It's always been one of my regrets, you know? Never visiting the Mediterranean. Go treat yourself, don't worry about me. Those things only last a week or two, don't they? You'll be back in no time with such great new stories to share. I won't mind a missing visit or two. I have Victoria checking in on me now you know. Treat yourself," he repeated, slowly tapping a finger. With the gesture he finished signalling the end of his message. It didn’t take long to deliver messages in the secret code they shared, but then again they'd perfected it over the years. The shock she showed fit well enough with what he said aloud that he didn't worry.

 

With a shake of his head, he looked up and over his mother's shoulder. Smiling widely he asked the doctor if she'd ever been. He watched his mother compose herself from the corner of his eye as the doctor berated him for making this visit about her. They argued briefly and his mother had regained her composure by the time the conversation resumed.

 

"You know, that is quite an idea. I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. As long as you’re certain," she said with a sad expression, fingers stilling after signing her own hidden communication.

 

Elijah choked back a knot in his throat and forced out a laugh. "It'll just be a week or two, you make it sound like such a big deal. I'll barely know you're gone." He wasn't certain things were going to go well, but that wasn't the important question. He was only certain he wanted her to do ask he asked. 

* * *

"That looks crumbly," he said, peering into the box. "Dennis is going to lose his shit." Victoria immediately started to apologize but Barry waved her off with a wide grin.

 

"No no no, honey," he laughed, carefully selecting a cookie and taking a bite. "It's not like that anymore. He has to get along with everyone now. He agreed to. No more ruining everything for everyone else just because it upsets his sensitive feeling. Oh, this tastes divine," he spoke around a mouthful. "This is incredible. I'm sure once he has a taste himself, Dennis will forgive whatever mess we make." He winked and Victoria stared at him in shock at such a tone taken towards one of the three. 

 

Where as the others had whispered and trembled at the mention of their... handlers, to avoid another name, when she'd first shown up, Barry now spoke in an almost teasing and friendly way. As if it were just a joke among friends that Dennis would be aggravated by cookie crumbs all over his tidy room. She fervently hoped that was the case. If the others slipped back into actually mocking the man she was certain it would go poorly for everyone.

 

"Well, tell him I'm sorry for any trouble and please be careful with the Soan Papdi in particular. I just ran out of time this week to bind another book. Work has been rather hectic and Joseph paid me another visit and there was Gibbon's funeral where I met Casey Cooke and we've-"

 

There was the sound of quickly drawn in breath and then Barry was doubled over coughing. Concerned but painfully mindful of the no touching rule and... physical contact in general with the man, Victoria could only help by retrieving the box before he spilled it onto the floor. Red faced and gasping he slowly seemed to recover. Hand to chest, he leaned back in his chair and breathed heavily while staring at her with wide eyes.

 

"You talked to Casey?" He asked. There was a strangled note to his voice and she realized it might be caused by more than just an inhaled crumb.

 

"Yes... she- she found me at the funeral, hunted me down really. She had some questions and I told her about my visits here. Does that bother you?" she asked quickly. Now that she thought about it, maybe it would? When she'd been talking to the girl it seemed so obvious for the two of them to speak again but watching his reaction she began to have doubts.

 

Looking around the room, Barry seemed almost overwhelmed. Twice he looked to the doctor at the back before jerking his head away quickly. "I just- He thought- I mean-" He ran both hands over his head and then repeated the gesture before looking to her in distress. "What did you say?"

 

Immediately Victoria felt awkward and looked down at the box of cookies she once again held. You were always supposed to say something like 'nothing bad' but they had met at a funeral of a man he'd just killed and Victoria had described the attack in extreme detail...

 

"Oh, you know... we... talked." Barry continued to stare at her with wide eyes. "About... things..." She fidgeted and thought to hand him back the box. He took it, barely noticing, and continued to stare at her.

 

"...and...?" he prompted, clearly desperate for more information. 

 

"Well I did suggest she should come visit you. I mean... " she gestured. Was he sweating? "I think she had some rather specific questions for... some of the others."

* * *

He couldn't help but stare as she entered the room. There was a faint temptation to struggle out of his seat and stand, as a gentleman might do in the presence of a lady. He understood that urge now, it was driven by terror. If he were on his feet he'd be able to react faster to whatever happened. Though he didn't move a muscle, he felt tense and uncertain and on edge till she'd finally sat down. Even then, he was certain that if he so much as blinked the wrong way she'd be up and out of the room in a heartbeat. It made no sense for her to be here but it made perfect sense that she'd disappear again for equally unfathomable reasons.

 

He had no idea how long they'd both sat there, frozen, when Casey finally let out a breath she'd apparently been holding. "Victoria said I should talk to you," she said in a rush. 

 

"That... That seems like a ridiculous idea and certainly something she'd say," Dennis managed to reply with. His heart was racing and he still could not comprehend the idea of her being here, visiting him. Latching onto the one possible safe subject that existed between them he asked, "How did you end up talking to her?"

 

Casey wrapped her arms around herself and looked back over her shoulder at the doctor. The two stared at each other for a long moment and Dennis felt a strangling urge to know what passed between them. What were they thinking about him? Slowly, Casey turned back to face him. Her expression was neutral and he felt something inside himself twist. "We met at the funeral for the guard the Beast killed."

 

Nervously Dennis ran a hand over his scalp. The bristle there again triggering a spike in frustration. "I- I- understand why Victoria felt the need to attend but why-"

 

"I've been to the funeral of every one of the the Beast's victims," Casey whispered. "Every one of them, Dennis. Do you know how many that has been?"

 

Dennis broke out in a sweat and he licked his lips. "I don't understand," he repeated, intentionally side stepping the question. His brow furrowed as he instead struggled with what she'd said. "Why would you do that? Why would you go to them?"

 

Casey inhaled sharply and he saw tears standing in her eyes. "Because I have to know what's different about me, Dennis. Why did all those others die but I live? I go and I listen to the descriptions of these people's lives and I try to understand." She held a clenched hand against her mouth and tried to muffle a sob. "What if I’d been able to stop him? Why did he let me live, Dennis? Why did the Beast kill Claire and Marcia and all those other people but not me? Why?"

 

Uncomfortable that he had only the words she'd already heard, Dennis opened his mouth but closed it suddenly when he felt Hedwig hovering. Dennis had wanted Casey to visit so badly but now that she was actually here, he was overwhelmed. He didn't know what to say, what to do. What he did know however was that this was his visit and he clenched his jaw in anger. "Casey, you shouldn't be here," the boy whined from between Dennis's teeth. "It's not safe," he said, forcing himself fully into the Light. Shoulders curling forward, he looked frantically back and forth between the girl and the doctor. 

 

"What do you mean, Hedwig?" Casey breathed, leaning in.

 

"It's not safe!" He repeated, voice still hushed but speaking loudly enough that both women could probably hear him. He knew he wasn't to whisper and given that she hadn't scolded him yet he figured the doctor could hear everything he was saying. Squeezing his eyes shut briefly, he moaned in distress at the situation. If only the Beast was here. He'd be able to deal with the doctor and he could explain everything better to Casey than Hedwig could. Ms. Patricia and Dennis, they didn't know. They didn't understand that the Beast, he trusted Hedwig. Shared things with Hedwig that the others didn't know about. Hedwig liked to think it was because they were friends. The Beast was so cool and Hedwig was certain, since they were friends, that made him a little bit cool too.

 

Casey didn't move but her eyes rolled to the side and then back dramatically, clearly indicating she understood the problem. Hedwig nodded. "Don't ask Mr. Dennis or anyone else, ok? They don't know."

 

Licking her lips, Casey matched the tone of his voice. "But you know," Again her eyes moved to the side and back. "But you can't tell me right now?" Hedwig nodded slowly.

 

"Hedwig, I think Casey deserves to know why she was spared. I promise that neither of us will tell the others, isn't that right Casey?" the doctor interrupted. Now he slowly shook his head as frustration began to well up in him.

 

"Ms. Patricia, she says she wants to tame the Beast. To be his friend. But she's not very good at making friends. Not like I am. I'm way better at it than her or Dennis. I mean, you're my friend and Mr. Glass is my friend and Victoria is my friend and the Beast is my friend." Here he smiled, clearly quite proud of himself. “Do you think Mr Dunn would be my friend?”

 

"So the Beast is your friend... and he told you why he didn't kill me... but you can't tell me why."  Casey clenched her fists and slowly drew them in towards herself.

 

"I'm sorry," Hedwig apologized, leg nervously bouncing. "I wish I could. I don't think the Beast would even mind, he'd want you to know. But I can't."

 

Casey turned her head slightly. "Dr. Staple, do you think you could give us a moment...?"

 

Hedwig violently shook his head before the doctor could respond. "No, there are cameras everywhere! All over. He tried to get rid of them but they brought them back. They're recording everything. Everything. That's why we can't tell you, or anyone." He wrapped his arms tightly around himself. "They're watching," he whispered.  Casey leaned back in her chair, looking quite stunned. "I'm going to give Ms. Patricia the light now. Dennis really wants to talk to you but I don't know if that's a good idea. But remember, you can't ask either of them about the Beast."

 

There was a shudder and Patricia's head snapped back with a gasp. Her eyes wide, she looked around. "What did he say to you?" she hissed, looking for a moment as confused as Casey was. "Hedwig?" Patricia called out softly, looking around. "Hedwig, what have you done?"

 

Catching sight of Casey and more importantly the doctor, she froze. Slowly, she drew herself up and lifted her chin. "Casey," she cooed. "What a surprise to see you." A hand fluttered up to rest across her chest.  "I had been under the impression Dennis would be exclusively enjoying your company but I guess Hedwig just couldn't help himself. Boys will be boys, I guess..." Again, Hedwig had forced everyone far from the Light when talking to this girl. She'd only been spying on Dennis just the tiniest bit before then, which is how she knew the child had acted out.  Already she'd been unhappy with the direction the conversation had been going, now she didn't even know where it'd spiraled out of control to. It was unclear if they knew she was ignorant of what had just transpired but Patricia refused to let such details interrupt her ability to manage a situation.

 

Drawing a deep but shaky breath, Casey shook her head. "You're all insane," there was a trembling note to her voice when she spoke. Patricia just tutted in response, disappointed in the girl. Again she wondered how she'd managed to make it so far in escaping the Beast. She was occasionally clever, that much was undeniable. But that was about all she and boys could seem to agree on. There was no charm to her, that much Patricia was certain. And no kindness either, nothing like dear Victoria. Still, being clever was no easy feat. That alone would have made her somewhat respectable. That she was also Pure just further complicated things.

 

"Calm yourself, child," she snapped, reaching up to remove the glasses Hedwig had left on. "You do have to admit that it's quite shocking to see you here," Patricia continued scornfully. "I mean, after all that..." she waved a hand as attempt to lightly dismiss the whole of it. The kidnapping, the conversations, the chase, the realization... "We may be in a psychiatric hospital but we're not actually crazy. You're mad for wanting to see us, so I'd be careful with who you call insane."

 

"Actually, Patricia," the doctor rudely interjected from the back of the room. "It's quite common for therapists to encourage their clients to 'confront' their past trauma." Though she didn't look at the woman, she could hear the cruel smile in her voice. Casey, thankfully, looked outraged at the very notion. She also, however, looked quite outraged at Patricia as well. "There are a a number of excellent reasons why Ms. Cooke wanted to see you this afternoon," the doctor seemed to almost purr. "And I'm happy to work with her to schedule any number of upcoming visits that may be convenient to her." Now Patricia did look at the doctor and saw the wretched woman's expression.

 

With a heavy sigh, she shook her head. Foolish boys, what had they done? The woman had found herself a way in now with them and would surely know how to twist the knife from here on out. Their collective lives were no doubt about to get far worse in the near future.

* * *

Casey's hand on the doorknob stilled. She didn't know exactly how she knew, but she was certain her uncle was on the other side of the door, just spoiling for a fight. She could almost see it, him sitting at the chipped table with a half drunk bottle of beer and two, no three, empties standing near by. Carefully she withdrew her hand and stepped back from the door.

 

Looking around, she assured herself that there was no one watching before slipping around the back of the house. It was stupid to leave one's window unlocked and half opened, she knew that. With a gentle shove it silently slid open far enough for her to slip in. Any normal person would keep their doors and windows locked, barring the outside from coming in. Casey wondered what it was like, living a life where the greatest dangers were external. Almost all the fears she knew came from within.

 

Not daring to turn on a light, Casey slipped her shoes off and crawled into her bed fully dressed. Though the room was dark and she lay unmoving in it, she was miles off from sleep. Memories from the hospital flickered through her mind like fire. The distraught look on Dennis's face when he'd seen her. The secretive desperation in Hedwig's eyes. The false bravo of Patricia, clearly struggling to project calm control and somehow failing. She felt goosebumps run up her skin and quietly rubbed at her arm under the sheets. The movement pulled at the fresh cut on her hip and she winced slightly. This was not what she'd been expecting. The Horde that'd haunted her memories were not who she had spoken to at the hospital today. The idea of the them, united against her, cracked further under this realization. What in her nightmares resembled a many faced monster was just... a collection of confused individuals. Victoria's description of prior visits drifted back to her but she shook her head violently.

 

Victoria had explained the strange and unethical treatments that she believed the doctor to be performing on them. The folder, stuffed full of papers, hadn't made much sense to her as she flipped through it. In truth, the woman had just seemed like some fanatical fan of the Horde. Casey's experience with Orwell had been brief but what she'd seen in no way lined up with the woman's devotion to him. She'd just figured the woman to be mostly crazy. Now Casey wasn't so sure.

 

There was a sound from the living room followed by a clatter. Casey held her breath and a short while later the light creeping under her door went out as she heard the bang of the front door. Releasing her breath, she relaxed. He'd gone to the bar now. She had the house to herself for a couple hours at least and an excuse as to why he'd not seen her come home. Without turning on a light, Casey reached over the side of the bed and down into her backpack she'd dropped there. Easily she retrieved the book within and pulled it out. She didn't want to think about the Horde right now.

 

Tracing the cover in the dark, she could just barely make out the glint of the tooling. It was beautiful, even in the dark and by touch alone, and she again felt vaguely guilty for letting the woman give it to her. The older woman had been almost a little hysterical when Casey had drawn the book from the shelf, breaking into peels of laughter and saying things like 'of course' and 'obviously'. Casey hadn't meant to take it, just to look at it. Something about it had drawn her. There'd been no title or author on the cover, just smooth, beautiful leather and a gold band running around the edge. When Victoria mentioned it was deer-hide they'd enjoyed a brief conversation about the local hunting scene, leather-working, and the processing of one's kill. She thought they'd escaped the shadow of the Horde, conversationally, for a moment but realized that the discussion of butchery did nothing to put the woman at ease.

 

In the end, Casey had moved to return the book to the shelf but Victoria insisted she take it. The fever of her insistence had certainly contributed to her impression of the woman being mad. Casey reached to the lamp by her bedside and hesitated just a moment before turning it on. Opening the book she found the first page blank and then the title on the next. "The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson" it read. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's happening! Finally, Casey shows up! Oophf... girl is hard for me to write, and yet so vital. She's here to stay though so I better get better at it... But hey, they're all finally in the picture so things can really start to move forward now. 
> 
> Next chapter is "Expected Outcomes." Shout out to commenter JaliceCookie for giving me the beautiful mental picture of the boys being "experimental rabbits," which I couldn't help but illustrate. Turns out writing takes a lot of time :-/ was happy to feel the urge to sketch for the first time in a while. The David bunny is supposed to be partially bald...
> 
>   
>  [](https://the-six-fingered-villain.tumblr.com/)   
>    
> 


	7. Expected Outcomes

"And then he said he had known the whole time," Elijah said, biting into another sticky candy and grinning. Victoria covered her face and laughed while also blushing.

 

"Oh, please, no-" Victoria fanned herself as she struggled to breath between giggles. "I'm pretty certain you are not supposed to share that." Elijah stared at the doctor but remained silent, still smiling. Frankly he thought so too, but the woman didn't seem to care.

 

"It really is too bad about the book," he said, stepping away from a potentially sensitive subject with an easy distraction. "You promised me more Lucretius in the next one, was quite looking forward to it." Victoria immediately began to apologize, again trying to explain how she'd been so busy that week. Every little hiccup along her week registering to him as a series of titanic Signs but the doctor seemed to hardly be paying attention. Either this woman was very good at playing it cool or not the sharpest of clinical physicians. It felt like writing in the sky, a Sign, and the doctor hadn't even made a single note.

 

"And I felt really bad about that, so then I offered to help her with the paper. Now I know what cheating looks like, plenty of kids do their homework in the library, so I definitely wasn't helping her cheat on her homework... but I might have made some suggestions because, you know, I'm so familiar with the material... and it is my job to help people find things." Victoria had managed to work her way from apologizing at being unable to bind an entire book for him in one week to apologizing for helping Casey with her homework. This somehow wrapped around the fact that she'd spent two evenings hanging out in David Dunn's son's company. Elijah couldn't decide what was more unbelievable, that Dr. Staple wouldn't see anything interesting in what Victoria said or that the woman would be so foolish as to just rattle of such details without thinking in front of the doctor.

 

Victoria was looking at him nervously when he realized she'd stopped speaking several moments ago. "Elijah, is everything all right?" she asked carefully. Here he shook his head, noting how the doctor now moved her pen to make a note. If the conversation turned serious or if he had one of his minor episodes, the doctor always started paying closer attention.

 

"It's fine, I'm just shocked that someone could turn helping out a kid into such a dramatic moral conflict," he laughed, finishing the jaleebi and selecting another one from the box she'd brought. "Everything is fine. Everything will be fine."

 

* * *

 

Casey again questioned why she was even back here again. Victoria had somehow convinced her that the Horde might be more helpful once they'd gotten over the initial shock of seeing her again, but they were well over halfway through the visit already and Casey was quite certain the woman was wrong. Dennis looked absolutely miserable, hunched on the chair before her and the doctor sat far enough back that she shouldn't keep them both in line of sight. The feeling of being watched made her uncomfortable and she again twisted to look back at the woman.

 

"Could you, maybe, move or something?" she asked and immediately resented the patronizing look the doctor gave her. Casey kept her face blank as the woman explained that this session was supposed to be about her and patient Crumb, that she didn't want to interfere. Continuing to stare an extra couple seconds after the woman had stopped talking, Casey just narrowed her eyes before turning back towards Dennis.

 

It wasn't hard to dismiss his obvious suffering but she couldn't help noticing it was there. She didn't really understand why her being here so violently upset him but she drew strength from the fact that it didn't matter. It was his turn to be locked in a room and for her to visit whenever she felt like it. Of course, this time there was no Beast hunting him, slowly drawing closer while she essentially taunted him with conversation. A small voice in the back of her head reminder her that, if Victoria was to be believed, such an analogy might actually be true. While this Dr. Staple was no Beast, the woman continued to put Casey on edge. There was something that tickled her mind, that told her it was more than just unease at being watched, but she ignored it.

 

Closing her eyes, Casey drew in a deep breath to calm herself. She pictured the doctor sitting behind her, pen in hand and poised to make some deeply insightful observation based on some interaction or slight tell. The woman's eyes, half lidded, would be watching Dennis oh so closely. It didn't exactly make Casey feel better, but just so clearly picturing the scene behind her helped lift some of the anxiety of the unknown.

 

"I want to know why the Beast didn't kill me," she stated calmly and forcefully. Dennis shook his head. They had just been discussing how there'd been no hope for her to have stopped the Beast. He'd spent the entire time so far denying that there had ever been a chance of her defeating him, which that very tiny voice at the back of her head found quite offensive.

 

"Because you're Pure," he said, not looking at her. "Because your heart is Pure." Curling her hands into fists, Casey fought back the urge to scream at him that she wasn't pure. Purity was about as far away from her you could get and still be considered the same species. There was an urge to spit out the truth, that she wasn't pure, she wasn't even a virgin, but as always, she managed to fight it down.

 

"Dennis, you know I don't know what that means." It was impressive that she could stay so calm given how much wrath she felt inside her. "If you're not going to tell me, then just say so. But if you do know, I deserve a better explanation." Casey watched closely as the words lashed at the man. She hadn't really believed Hedwig when he claimed that no one else knew what the Beast had meant. That the others, who had actively aided in the collection and capture of victims for this other aspect of themselves, couldn't fully articulate why she had been spared seemed ridiculous. Patricia at least had acted as Casey expected- cold and lofty. If she didn't know better, she would have believed Patricia simply refused to explain the logic rather than not actually knowing it. Dennis's struggle however made no sense to her.

 

With force, he unbent from where he'd sat with crossed arms and gestured emphatically. "You have suffered. We saw..." Here his gesturing encompassed her but it was a broad gesture "...we saw that you had suffered, that you are broken. Just like us." Color rose in his cheeks and he looked down at her shoes. "Perhaps not exactly like us, but still broken. We are the same, there's no harm we could do to you," The end of this was spoken in an almost inaudible whisper.

 

Listening to this, Casey began to slowly shake her head. "That's bullshit. That doesn't make sense. Dennis, I'm not like you. There is nothing similar between me and you. Between me and the Beast," her heart was racing and she suddenly twisted in her chair, gripping it's back as she stared at the doctor. "I'm nothing like the Beast." The woman's eyebrows were raised, her lips parted, but she said nothing in response to this. Turning back to face the man across from her, she glared at him. The glare diminished not at all when it became obvious that it hurt him.

 

"Casey, please..." She noticed that he too had clenched his fists, holding his unmoving against his thighs. "The Beast is a more evolved being. He is powerful. He is cunning. He is so much more... and he doesn't always explain why he does things. But that is just the way it is. There are some things that are just unknowable to us."

 

With a huff, Casey slumped back in her chair. The talk of being 'the same' had sent her heart racing. Had filled her mind with worries and fears. But hearing this, she knew it was nothing. Dennis certainly had his theories on why the Beast had let her live, but he had no idea the real reason. Hedwig was right. Trying to get Dennis to answer her question would get her nowhere. "Unknowable? Like why you attacked your friend?" she snapped, feeling an urge to lash out.

 

Again Dennis sort of winced, her words striking another sore spot. "No, we all know why the Beast tried to kill Victoria. She's Impure," he said with a casual shrug. Casey made a disgusted noise at his attitude.

 

"And what does Impure mean? Is everyone Impure but me? The doctor over there, is she Impure? Would the Beast eat her?" Though she didn't need to turn around to actually see it, Casey knew the doctor was staring at her with a horrified expression. Dennis too looked rather taken aback by the intensity with which she spoke. Casey lowered the hand she'd raised and instead tucked her hair behind her ear.

 

"The Impure are the... the untouched, the unburned, the unslain, the unbroken," Dennis stared at his own open palm, a fist having unclenched as he seemed to offer up an answer. "The Impure are those who do not know what it's like to suffer." With a shake of his head, he seemed to struggle with a thought and then stared over her shoulder, presumably straight at the doctor. "And no, the Beast wouldn't eat the doctor. He does have some standards for what he desires to consume and the doctor is filthy. Isn't that right, doctor?" The woman inhaled sharply from behind Casey but did not reply directly. Casey knew the woman's pen was stilled, just hovering unmoving above the paper. "While she may not have suffered, she certainly knows what it's like to suffer. She's watched suffering be inflicted enough times, I'm sure she's very familiar with the concept. Isn't that right, doctor?" Dennis was breathing heavily at this point, still glaring hatefully at the woman. "The Beast wouldn't eat the doctor," he growled, "but we're all hoping he snaps her neck."

 

"Patient Crumb!" the doctor shouted, both her and Casey stumbling to their feet simultaneously. "Threats of violence are not tolerated," she said in an outraged tone. Casey felt a grip on her arm and then was stumbling, pulled back to the door by a hastily retreating Dr Staple. "This session is terminated!"

 

As she was being shoved through the door, she caught Dennis's eye. He still remained seated, one hand held open with the other still clenched shut. He wore a pained expression, brow deeply furrowed, that continued to haunt her after the door had slammed shut between them.

 

"Absolutely fascinating," the woman next to her was saying. "I want a full break down of all the feeds for analysis. And I want them now now, not later now. I'll be in the lab in five minutes." Turning to Casey, she beamed at her. "Thank you so much for coming in this week, Ms Cooke. I apologize that the session ended early, but it is protocol and all to help prevent violent outbursts. So, when is the earliest you can come back?" The woman asked with baited breath and Casey felt a twist of disgust.

 

"I'm not coming back," she said, realizing that it was true only as she spoke it. "I don't know what you're doing to your patients here, but I want none of it, ok?" Casey shook her head, stepping away from the doctor and the orderly who hovered at her elbow. "I came here for me. To answer a question for me and it's clear I'm not going to get an answer. So...." she raised her hands, backing down the hall. "...I want no part of whatever you're doing to them."

 

Turning, she dropped her arms. "Don't contact me again, Dr. Staple," Casey said, walking out the door.

 

* * *

 

He knew it was too late for visitors, so Dennis didn't even look up from where he slumped in the corner of their room. The brush he'd been scrubbing the tile with had slipped from his fingers at some point and he stared at it rather than looking up to the woman behind him.

 

"Dennis," she said. It was phrased as a statement but was clearly a question. If he didn't respond, she'd probably leave, believing she'd guessed wrong. She seemed to despise them all, but for some reason he drew from her a particularly vicious streak. There was no denying that some of her actions towards him were just downright cruel. No one else seemed to earn themselves such a treatment.

 

Carefully removing his glasses, he rubbed his eyes. Still sitting on the floor, facing away from her, he replied. "What do you want, doctor?"

 

There was the whisper of fabric as she took a step towards him. "I think the important question is what do you want, Dennis?" He froze at that. It'd been awhile since the doctor had so blatantly tried to bribe them to do her bidding. "We haven't had a chat for a while in regards to your treatment. Why don't you join me for a moment?"

 

After a span of silence he turned and looked over his shoulder. The orderlies had brought in the typical pair of chairs for these infrequent sit downs in their room. The doctor usually stood when they spoke together here in the room or perched at the back or the front if there were more people present. He knew he should just ignore the offer, should just stay on the floor where he'd somehow managed to wind up. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet and sat stiffly in the chair.

 

The doctor smiled warmly at him. "It seems like your treatments continue to have unstable results. That's really too bad. I think you shouldn't fight against it so much."

 

Narrowing his eyes, Dennis sneered at her, "And what? Let your machine decide who is in the Light? I don't think so. You have no say in who is here."

 

Dr. Staple ran a hand over her knee, fingers flexing. "You're right, Dennis. I don't. Only you do, you and your... friends. You've made that quite clear. But let me be clear. I need to speak to the Beast. You need to bring him forth."

 

Dennis snorted in disgust. "You know it doesn't work like that. And even if I could, what makes you think that'd go well for you?"

 

"I'm not scared of the Beast, Dennis. I really want to meet him, you've said so much about him...  I mean, not directly," she smiled at him and it cut as much as she meant it to. "I don't have to be in the room when he emerges. I could be... somewhere else. We just... want to study the Beast. Watch him."

 

"Watch him what?" Dennis tilted his head back, staring at her. "Watch him... eat people?" His mouth twisted in disgust. "What sort of doctor are you?"

 

"I didn't say that," Dr Staple replied in a calm voice. "We just want to study the Beast doing... whatever he wants to do. Short of destroying our equipment again, of course. And he'd need to remain on the premise. It's the physiological responses and the transitions between states that really is the core of our research. It really don't matter. We just want the Beast to emerge, and despite what you keep claiming, I bet you know how to get him to return." She uncrossed and crossed again her legs at this point, pausing for a moment. "I just want you to understand that we're willing to work with you on this. Whatever it takes, you let us know. A lot of progress in this sort of treatment is made by the patient and the doctor working together to figure out a solution. Together."

 

Dennis watched with a blank expression as she again adjusted how she sat in the chair. "For example... some of our data suggests when Casey is visiting you show elevated signs on a number of systems." Though he remained absolutely motionless and said not a word, Dennis could feel what he feared was a blush slowly overtaking him. "And previous visits, especially with Victoria, have given us strong indications this an alter-change inducing trigger. Now I know how you value control over such things," she again flashed a sharp smile. He managed not to flinch. "So perhaps increasing these visits, above the once a week frequency, might help promote a more productive environment in which to call forth the Beast again?" She tipped her head to the other side, "or would perhaps discouraging them be more productive? Not forbidding her of course, but a young girl like that can be easily persuaded to not return if that'd be helpful...?"

 

"What is it?" Patricia snapped, surprising both Dennis and the doctor. "That she never comes back or that she certainly comes back? You're getting sloppy at your play, doctor." Dennis would have been far more angry at her interruption if it hadn't saved him from getting lost in the question. While he hadn't truly considered the doctor's offer, he had been at least wondering if it was possible.

 

"Whichever you want it to be," Dr Staple said quickly, eyes flicking over Dennis's face.  "Whoever summons the Beast, they choose which outcome they would like." Licking her lips, her gaze continued to drill into him. "Or whichever guest they would like to have such a ruling on."

 

His lip twitched with a sneer but he was able to fight it back since it was not his own. He was starting to feel irritated with how near Patricia leaned. "Pathetic," she spit at the woman before leaving of her own free will. "Patricia does have a point, doctor," he followed with, grateful for having had the chance to step back and gather his wits. "You're grasping at straws, which is quite heartening to know. I'm sure everyone will be pleased to know that-"

 

"Fine- hold to your stupid protest," she stood up abruptly "I will continue to run your treatment as I see fit and I will get my results. You clearly are not willing to cooperate on formulating a successful plan.  I'm sure we'll figure out an... appropriate response, working with what we have available."

 

He didn't stand as she left. The orderly had to eventually ask him to move in order to retrieve the chair as they cleared the room. With hooded eyes, he watched the furniture as it was hauled out into the hallway and the well armed guards that stepped aside to let it through.

 

Dennis ignored the doctor for the most part. What actually occupied his thoughts was frustration with Patricia. She had continued to berate him about how Casey's visits had gone. At his willful and excessive sharing of information with the doctor. She didn't understand but that didn't stop her from scolding him. It was as if she tried to claim some moral high ground over him but he was having none of it. It was so obvious the doctor had even thought she could play the two off each other.

 

In hindsight, yes, he probably should have been more careful around Casey, letting the doctor see the way she affected him was certainly no good. But it wasn't as if Patricia hadn't revealed such vulnerabilities of her own. While Victoria's visits seemed to be beyond the doctor's control, the fact they could hold onto her books for days at a time was due to minor concessions Patricia and a couple others had advocated for, ground given up to the doctor. The blood draws were more frequent now and they made no fuss these days about it. If Patricia were allowed flexibilities to ensure Victoria's visits and gifts, Dennis didn't see why a couple of exceptions couldn’t be made to ensure Casey's return.

 

In the back of his mind he knew she shouldn't return. Hedwig had confronted him with as much as they brushed their teeth this morning. It'd taken an extra five minutes to clean the mirror after the child's sputtering rant about the situation had left it peppered with flecks of toothpaste. Dennis knew this in an abstract way, but he had pointed out that it was equally unsafe for Victoria to visit and no one else seemed to be concerned for her well being. Knowing that Casey was like himself, that there was a deeper understanding between them, even if she didn't admit it, made Dennis feel alive. More alive than he had for all the months trapped in here. They'd grown complacent and the memory of the outside world, of Casey and all that existed beyond these walls, awoke in him a fire.

 

He wanted to see Casey again. He wanted to get out.

 

* * *

 

"I just thought you might want to know," Casey muttered, hands shoved in pockets and looking at her shoes. "I mean, I don't know how he's going to take it so he'll probably be extra mopey or something and I'd hate for him to lash out at you."

 

"Oh, I'm sure he will, but he hardly needs you for an excuse. The headaches make them all a little testy, though it sounds like you caught them quite clear headed." Victoria held up a hand, trying to wave Albert off. "Just a minute," she said to him before turning back to the girl. "I'm so sorry to hear that you weren't able to get an answer though. I have been trying to keep my eye open for something while researching. I mean, the term 'Pure' is likely his own terminology but who knows, maybe he's channeling some other source of information. It really is quite fascinating how-" Victoria looked up at the girl and managed to cut herself short. Casey smiled weakly at her, clearly uncomfortable and ready to bail.

 

"Yeah, thanks, I'm sure it's nothing. I mean, they're crazy, right? It probably just means nothing. Forget I said anything, ok?" Shouldering her backpack, she took a step towards the door. There was something about the way she moved, the way she carried herself didn't seem as it should.

 

"Casey," Victoria called out, stopping the girl, "Is everything alright?" The girl hesitated, head still hung and both hands gripping the strap of her pack. Biting her lip, Victoria didn't know what else to say and the chance soon escaped her as Casey pushed through the library doors.

 

* * *

 

Mr. Glass wheezed, head tipped back and mouth hanging open.

 

"So what they doing to you?" David asked. He slouched in his chair as if the lab cap trailing handfuls of wire didn't bother him in the least. It'd been a while since the doctor had thrown them into a room together and David was certain it wasn't a good sign. Initially he'd thought it had been meant as some sort of talk therapy, working through their differences or some bullshit like that, but that was back when he thought Dr Staple was just a normal head doctor on some quest to 'help' them.

 

The man in the wheelchair before him didn't respond right away. His gaze was unfocused and his hands twitched slightly. If they weren't already under intense monitoring by the hospital staff, David would have considered trying to get help. Now he just sat there, knowing there was nothing he could do and hoping the man recovered from whatever was going on inside that head of his, if only so he could answer some of David's questions.

 

"Medication," Elijah eventually breathed. Seeming to have recovered, his body slackened and he slumped forward. "I don't think they have any idea what they're doing. This current series seems to provoke just..." Waving a hand at himself, Elijah declined to explain exactly what had overtaken him. It hadn't looked nice so David didn't blame him. "Yourself?"

 

"Aversion therapy," he muttered, suppressing an urge to shutter. "Basically they do blood draws, douse me with water, do more blood draws, douse with more water, let me dry out, draw some blood, and start it all over again." He didn't want to mention that they sometimes pelted him with rubber bullets during it all for some reason. Speaking about it out loud it would make it too real.

 

"Isn't that called waterboarding these days?" Elijah asked with a friendly tone, he was adjusting the blanket that they let him keep on his lap. "Interesting about the blood draws. They take a bit from me now and then, but that sounds far more frequent."

 

Rubbing his jaw, David considered his response. On one hand talking to Elijah brought up painful memories. It was like reliving a fragment from the past, reminding him of that period of time when he'd been vulnerable and confused. There was no question that without the man's guidance he never would have come to the full realization of what he was. But with such a memory always came the dark knowledge of what Elijah had done to bring it about. "It's not waterboarding," David said slowly. "They never hold me down, they don't force it down my throat... it just... turns out that way."

 

He didn't like the way Elijah nodded understandingly. Reminders of how they were the same, of how much Elijah knew about him made him uncomfortable. But the reality of their situation in the hospital sort of eclipsed such worries. The staff were not to be trusted which made Elijah a suddenly far more ideal conversational partner than before. At least David understood the man's motives and past, unlike most the people working at the hospital.

 

"What are they trying to get out of you?" David asked in an attempt to turn the conversation away from himself. "Jesus, what is it other than being crazy even puts you here? I get why they're messing with Kevin, but you?" Shaking his head, David looked sad. "You're just a disturbed old man. Why are you with us?"

 

Elijah Price looked genuinely hurt by the statement, which surprised David.  "Abnormal neurological response to typical stimuli," Elijah muttered. "I heard one of the technicians say that once." With a shrug, he looked around the room. The cables trailing from his own helmet didn't seem that out of place, David thought. Sitting in the chair in such a sterile room, hooked up to strange equipment, David thought he finally resembled one of those comic book villains he had been obsessed about.

 

"Doesn't that just mean crazy?" David asked and this time Elijah glared at him.

 

"You don't understand," he began. "There are-" He cut himself off so fast, David was worried he was having another episode. Elijah peered at him, bringing his hands together to steepled his fingers in that ridiculous way he did. David was certain the man had at one point practiced in front of a mirror, perfecting the most villainous poses he could think of.

 

"Yeah, I know. There's a lot of stuff going on here I don't understand," David muttered darkly. He thought about mentioning Joseph's visits. About how his son had clearly been trying to hint at something. That he had been spending way too much time in the company of this Victoria woman. Joseph had obviously been attempting to be sneaky about it though, for some reason. Which probably meant mentioning it in front of the technicians recording everything, including his brain waves just now with this stupid helmet, was probably a bad idea.

 

"I wouldn't worry too much, David," Elijah smiled at him. "I'm pretty sure you'll understand everything soon enough." The smile twitched and his mouth fell open again as his eyes rolled back once more. David sighed, watching as the man relapsed into whatever sort of fit the medication inspired in the poor bastard.

 

* * *

 

"I'm sorry, Dennis, for suggesting Casey visit. I didn't mean for her to upset you. I thought you'd be able to help... " His pained expression must have triggered Victoria's anxiety since she hurried to amend her statement, "Not that I necessarily expected you to help. I mean, she's gone through a lot and presumably needs help for the professional variety so I mean, you shouldn't feel bad if you were unable to provide her what she needed. Though I'm sure you tried." None of this appeared to have improved the situation and she eventually managed to stop talking only to start up again far too soon.

 

"She told me she won't be coming back so hopefully that'll be a relief?" The woman said, effectively undermining any hope Ellie had of making progress on that front. Dennis glared at the doctor from across the room and she ignored him. Thankfully he wasn't around that much longer. The session proved to be boring, as it often was, with Orwell soon taking the Light and the two of them chatting on and on and on about seemingly meandering subjects. Ellie checked her watch, frowning. It was only two hours since treatment and she was surprised at how few symptoms he was demonstrating. Making a note of it, she wondered what it would take to convince the rest of her staff to up the max number of light cycles per session.

 

Thankfully the end eventually arrived and Dr. Staple escorted Victoria out of the room. Their walk down the hall was cool, both women remaining civil but only just so. There was no exchange of goodbyes or even acknowledgement of each other as Ellie turned towards her lab and the woman proceeded to the exit.

 

Punching in the code and then dragging the door shut behind herself, Dr. Staple was disappointed to find the lab not empty. With a huff, Ellie collapsed into her chair. Ben sat across from her, fingers tapping at the keyboard. "Orwell, eh? He talks and talks and it's like he never says anything.... " Muttering, he continued to squint at his screen. "We should try to sell the government on the idea of turning him into a secret weapon to bore people to death."

 

Ellie snorted, dragging her laptop over and opening it up. "With the way things are going, that looks to be the only thing we have on the table." Clicking through her email, she scowled at and scrolled past something angry looking from Dr. Madison. The man had done an abrupt about face since the incident with patient Crumb. No longer cautioning a slow approach, he seemed intent on emailing every day now, asking for results. The fact that the Beast seemed unwilling or unable to emerge again was going to get someone in trouble soon and from the frequency of his emails, she got the feeling it wasn't going to be just her. She took what comfort she could from that.

 

Drumming her fingers on the table, she replayed the vitals from the session that'd just ended. Elevated as usual when talking about Casey, then a nose dive towards normalcy when Orwell showed up. That alter had the biological signs of a cucumber at times, unless he got worked up about one of his little academic issues. There were a couple blips on the reading but she'd come to associate those with Patricia, especially during these visits. Hedwig and Dennis always made the data noisy but Patricia had a smothering effect, neutralizing a lot of the responses and suppressing systems that might have otherwise exhibited interesting signs. With a bored sigh she recorded her notes, the data, and shipped it off to the digital black hole that was her research archive.

 

She realized Ben was looking at her. "What?"

 

"Nothing," he said, looking down. There was a pause as Ellie waited for him since he obviously had something on his mind. It didn't take that long.  "I, ah, saw your list," he muttered. Dr Staple raised her eyebrows. "You left your notebook on the desk last night, I didn't flip through your stuff or anything." His fingers had stilled on the keyboard by now and he looked up at her. "I don't think you should put Alice's name on it."

 

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ellie said very carefully.

 

"It was a list of 'Impure' people in the lab, wasn't it? I hang out with the interns a lot, I recognized the names." Dr. Staple turned to stare at her blank screen, worried about where this might go. "I understand," he continued. "I mean, we are making no progress and he's clearly much more careful around Victoria now. It seems reasonable to try and induce another episode but... I just don't want Alice's name on the list. You know? She's a colleague... If anything were to happen to her..."

 

"Don't be silly, Ben," she interjected with a laugh. "What you're suggesting is ridiculous... And very unorthodox. I'd never try to feed my staff to one of the patients." The look he gave her made it clear she need to work on the lie.

 

* * *

 

Nervously, Victoria touched her hair and then smoothed out the hem of her shirt. She fingered the rich embroidery there, avoiding looking up.

 

"And it hasn't happened again?" he asked, arms folded across his chest just like Dennis often did.

 

"As I already assured you," the doctor injected from behind her. "Another incident won't happen and if it did you can be certain that you'd be informed of it."

 

Shaking her head, Victoria assured him there'd been no further violence. "It's getting worse though," she said softly. It wasn't really a whisper, but she spoke in a low volume that would surely irritate the doctor. "When I saw him, he could barely hold a conversation. I don't actually know who I was talking to..." She blinked back tears and looked at his shoes rather than his face.

 

Wordlessly David rubbed a hand over his jaw and the beginning of a beard that grew there. Unlike her usual visits with Mr. Glass and Orwell, conversation did not seem to flow naturally between her and Mr. Dunn. Talking to Dennis in fact seemed easier than this. That hadn't stopped her from making a point to visit him when she came by the hospital however. After consulting with Joseph, she'd opted to bring exclusively baked goods for the man rather than reading material. With work and research efforts and her occasional meetings with the other visitors of the Reynolds patients, she had actually started to run out of time. It was an... unfamiliar and slightly exciting feeling.

 

At some point during every visit with the man, David would ask about the incident with the Beast. Today's question had been the accusatory kind, he seemed certain she was letting herself get knocked around repeatedly by the monster. Victoria found the idea rather offensive, returning after one incident was quite different than tolerating repeated abuse and she wished he understood she'd not stand for such behavior. But in truth, it was hard to stay angry at any of them in light of whatever toll the doctor's treatment was taking on everyone.

 

Last visit had her speaking with Jade who had tried to be pleasant but clearly suffered through the encounter. Today's, as she'd mentioned, had been spent in the company of someone in pain and nearly nonsensical. She hoped that under the fog it hadn't been Hedwig or anyone else she'd become familiar with so far.

 

"He'll get better," David assured her, surprising her with the comment. "It usually takes a couple hours, but he pulls himself together. Depends on when he's getting his 'treatment'." She looked up in time to catch him glaring over her shoulder at the doctor. "If he was that bad it must have been not long before you arrived. If it's any comfort, I'm sure he'll be himself by group therapy later today." Victoria sniffled and nodded. Knowing they weren't tormented all day long was somewhat encouraging. "Although you seem to show up at the same time for every visit, I think. Not a lot of clocks here, but it seems like the same time... which means the doctor here could in theory be kind enough to wait till after your visit to zap the man."

 

The doctor didn't take the bait and Victoria was silently grateful for that. She had a rather solid suspicion the doctor was trying to use her presence to summon the Beast again but Victoria had faith in Dennis and Patricia. Patricia had assured her that it wouldn't happen again and while Dennis seemed a little more on the fence about it, Victoria appreciated the honesty. He at least seemed to genuinely want her to not get killed, even if he thought the odds of it happening were high.

 

In the end she and David wound up chatting about Joseph, who continued to swing by the library Tuesday evenings. Dennis seemed happy to hear about his son and seemed grateful that she was so open about everything. There was a mild tension to his eyes that made Victoria suspect that the idea of the two of them spending any prolonged period of time together set off warning bells in his head. She hadn't quite figured out how to convey the information to him yet about Dr. Staple's research and Joseph's efforts to help her understand more what was going on. Maybe she was going to have to smuggle him a book in at some point.

 

She was pretty certain the doctor ended the session early, though neither of them bothered to argue with her. Standing, Victoria seemed to suddenly revert to the hyper nervous state she sometimes got herself in. Stepping towards him rather than towards the door, she stuck out her hand. "I just wanted to thank you for everything," she said rapidly. David looked surprised but he reached out to shake her hand even as the doctor complained about the no touching rule.

 

Victoria had been expecting some sort of shock or jolt or something. Maybe even a tingle. But all she felt was the firm grip of a strong man's handshake. Dry, warm, controlled. He didn't react in the slightest, just continued to stare at her as their hands dropped and she let herself be scolded out the door. It was noticeable now that she looked for it- the doctor kept well out of reach of David for the entire session.

 

* * *

 

It was yet another break from their routine, another aberration of the doctors meticulous schule and attempts to control them. That's why Dennis was in the Light, at least, that's how he justified it. He knew Casey wouldn't return. Dennis knew that, but he couldn't help but kindle the faintest of hopes it'd be her again.

 

Such hopes were extinguished with the entrance of an older woman. Taking into account the impeccable fashion, grey hair, and skin tone, he had a pretty good idea of who his guest might be. The doctor followed her in and both women took their seats, legs neatly crossing in unison.

 

"Hello," his guest said. "I'm Dana Price. Elijah's mother."

 

Dennis inclined his head in greeting. "What can I do for you, Ms. Price?"

 

The woman just shrugged and smoothed her skirt cover her knees. The gesture by someone else would have seemed a nervous tick but she simply appeared to be casually mindful of her appearance and nothing more.

 

"I wanted to say hello. Elijah has spoken of you. Only good things of course," she added at Dennis's frown. The qualifier did nothing to make him feel better. When he didn't say anything she continued. "And your friend Victoria has taken to visiting my son, so I thought it no harm in visiting her friend in return."

 

As usual, Dennis felt an urge to correct her, to point out that Victoria wasn't their friend, especially after what had happened last month right here in this very room. Before he could respond though, he sensed Patricia and her desire for the Light. Rather than fight her for it, he simply stepped aside. This seemed to be more in her area of expertise anyway.

 

"Thank you, Dennis," Patricia said softly before speaking to their guest. "Yes, she is such a dear, isn't she? Thank you for taking the time to visit us. My name is Patricia. I'd shake your had, Ms. Price, but the rules quite forbid it. Mr Glass- I hope it's alright with you that I refer to your son as such- tells me you've been visiting him every week for all these years. Your devotion is admirable."

 

"A mother's love knows no bounds," she replied demurely, watching as Patricia tucked the glasses away. "And while I do cherish seeing him, I do believe I'd give up the privilege if I knew instead he was somewhere safer and far away."

 

Patricia's eyes widened a fraction at the boldness of the statement just as Dr Staple interjected as expected, "Ms Price, I'm only going to warn you once. You know discussions involving escape and or leaving this facility are not allowed. We don't want them to become over excited about unhealthy ideas."

 

Ms Price made a tutting sound of disapproval that stirred Patricia's admiration. "Now, now, Doctor. I believe you're projecting. I was merely referring to the hope I've expressed to you a number of times- that Elijah will soon be transferred to yet another treatment facility that can better aid his recovery. Over the years he has been moved to a number of facilities," Mr Price said to Patricia. "There's no reason he'll stay at this one very long. I've been fortunate enough that all of them have been on the east coast so far but I understand that he should go wherever effective treatment can be offered. I heard there was a rather remarkable facility outside of Chicago."

 

"Mmmm..." Patricia nodded her head while a smile cured her lips. "I can only hope someday to find such a place where they can really help myself and the others. So far I've found my treatment here to be quite... lacking."

 

The older woman arched an eyebrow. "Victoria would never say a word against anyone, of course, but from some of what we discussed I got the impression you'd been... perhaps let down by the Reynolds hospital so far? Really, much better facilities in Chicago. Things here do tend to be quite unorthodox."

 

That Dr. Staple so blatantly glared at the back of Ms Price's head gave Patricia a thrill. She could sense faintly others at the edge of the Light observing the exchange and hope they appreciated their guest as well.

 

"Yes, in fact I'd say it directly lead to a recent... episode. The program Dr. Staple has us on truly set us back and aggravated our... situation." It did not please Patricia to paint the Beast's emergence in a bad light but she understood it to be necessary at the moment. A sacrifice to be made, if only to turn the knife in Dr Staple's side. "I highly doubt the death of our guard Jacob would have resulted from a more traditional or conversational approach."

 

Ms Price looked appropriately surprised at that. "Do you feel there are any long term ramifications from the doctors work?" she asked.

 

Cocking her head to the side, Patricia considered her reply. She had to decide who her audience was here. Was she playing to spite the doctor, or was her guest inquiring for the sake of a larger question. Patricia settled for neutral ground, which happened to be the truth.

 

"I don't know. There are lingering effects and I worry what sustained treatment will do to us. I sincerely question the ethical and legal grounds of this treatment. But as I'm sure you're familiar with," she spread her hands helplessly, "there's very little we can do and no one to lodge a complaint with."

 

"I assure you, Patricia, that we are working in good faith," the doctor bit out from the back of the room. "The board is aware of and has approved the full spectrum of work we do here at the hospital."

 

Patricia and her guest exchanged skeptical glances. "I'm sorry to hear that," Ms Price said, ignoring the doctor entirely. "Though I am happy my son was able to emerge unharmed from your... episode. I hear it was a close call due to outside meddling." Patricia arched an eyebrow at that, not quite sure how to take the statement. "David Dunn has long resented Elijah and I worry what he might do to my son," her guest elaborated. "To know that he was in the same room with him fills a mother with dread." Patricia nodded sympathetically at that, pleased to have any suggested slight against the Beast cleared up.

 

"David can be quite difficult as well as unpredictable," Patricia agreed. "Do know that I cherish your son's company and will do everything in my power to look out for him. We all enjoy Mr Glass's companionship." She was certain her stress on the word all was not missed by either woman in the room.

 

"I appreciate that," Ms Price said, shifting in the uncomfortable plastic chair. "And I'd like to assure you that I'd wish to return the favor, if there's any way I can help..."

 

"You mentioned talking to Victoria...?" Patricia said, bring a hand up to her neck and leaving the question rather open ended.

 

Her guest smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes, I found her a while ago at her library and we've had a number of get togethers since then." Patricia kept her expression neutral but tucked the fact away. Though Orwell had begun to cooperate, he seemed unwilling or unable to share many details about their mutual friend. "Elijah seems to enjoy her visits", Ms. Price continued, "and I'm thankful for that. There's so little good to be found in a place like this. I'm surprised though. She mentioned bringing you a number of books but... I don't see any of them about. Elijah has kept his on the shelf next to the comics I bring him. The few he has are quite lovely, I was looking forward to seeing what she'd gifted you."

 

At this Patricia turned a wrathful stare directly to the doctor who pointedly did not look up from her notebook. "Unfortunately," Patricia bit out, "the doctor has seen fit to take each and every one of our books away on some perceived offense or perhaps just out of spite."

 

Her guest looked appalled at this behavior, as she should be. Both continued to trade catty statements about the doctor's practice, establishment, manners, and treatment of her patients. While not particularly productive, Patricia found it a delightful diversion and the time passed pleasantly. She complimented the woman on her sense of fashion and the conversation drifted towards women's wear. She sensed Barry following along and felt his desire to join in. Given her good mood, Patricia had been ready to relinquish the Light to him when the doctor called an end to the visit.

 

The two effusively complimented each other as the doctor stood waiting with pressed lips, trying and failing to shuffle the older woman out in a speedy fashion. Ms Price promised to visit again soon and thanked Patricia again for being a friend to her son. This surprised Patricia, having not yet thought of the man in such a way.

 

A cold look by the older woman stalled the doctor from actively laying hands on her person in an attempt to shuffle her out faster. Reaching into her coat, she drew out a slim booklet.

 

"Ah, I nearly forgot. My son thought you might enjoy this issue. Don't worry doctor, it has the hospital approved stitching though I doubt Patricia here would cause herself or others much harm with stapes. I'm very familiar with the policies here," she added as an aside.

 

Dr Staple seemed to seethe at the exchange but also seemed to be unable to formulate a reason to deny the gift outright. Handing over the comic, for that's what Patricia realized it was, Ms Price moved quickly to the door, forcing the doctor to abandon her protests. There was a stern look cast over the doctor's shoulder and Patricia doubted she'd have the comic for long.

 

Sweeping over to the bed, she carefully settled herself before the door had even finished closing.

 

"Well then, everyone," she murmured under her breath. "Let us see what Mr Glass wanted us to see before the wretched doctor takes it away."

 

The feeling of so many of the others hovering at the edge of the Light was an interesting one. Patricia chose to think of it as almost phantom, ghostly moths fluttering just outside her field of view, drawn to the Light she stood in. She found it comforting. Never before had they all worked so closely together.

 

Licking her lips, she began to softly read the comic aloud. A school mistress reciting a lesson to her phantom students. She just hoped they all could learn the lesson hidden within before their time ran out.

 

* * *

 

She slammed her laptop into the bag, furious. Certainly it had been Kennith who'd leaked her later papers to the press. Ben watched her with wide eyes while the other staff made a point of looking somewhere else. Perhaps Kennith was still bitter that she'd beaten him to the finish line of publishing their shared research. He certainly seemed like someone who could hold a grudge for years, the bastard. Everyone knew it was publish or perish, he should have seen it coming. And what fitting revenge, to use her own publications against her.

 

"Maintain the usual medication and light cycle schedules. No, Alice, you cannot run group therapy while I'm gone. Those sessions are cancelled till I get back." The over eager young woman before her slumped in disappointment. Ben caught Ellie's eye and they exchanged a look.

 

Dr. Staple shouldered her bag and surveyed the office one more time. The first whiff of the papers had leaked directly following the attack but somehow it’d taken over a month for the story to be whipped up into a storm. This was not how she'd hope the first major press coverage of her work would go. Now management demanded she hop the earliest train to explain everything.

 

"And for fucks sake, do not admit any visitors while I'm gone."

 

She moved towards the door but paused at the last minute, already half in the hallway. "I forgot, patient Crumb has a comic book." More than one person in the room rolled their eyes. "I know, I know, but we must be firm on this. Please see it's taken from him." And with that, she whisked away to catch the evening train to D.C.

 

* * *

 

"Oh, it's perfectly fine," Patricia said, handing over the battered volume. "I understand how she can be," she added conspiratorially to the nervous orderly. They raised an eyebrow, gingerly holding up the water logged and torn comic.

 

"Apologies. Dennis had one of his little episodes." She waved a hand and knew he'd forgive her the lie. "Sometimes his temper just gets the best of him and he just..." She fluttered her hand. "Goes off."

 

The orderly's eyes widened further at the idea of any of them 'going off' and quickly exited the room, as expected. Nodding to herself Patricia moved back to the bed and settled herself on it, legs crossing daintily. After a moment she turned and examined the pair of glasses on their bedside table. Though it discomforted her greatly, she tugged her shirt off and carefully began to pick at the stitching of the sleeve. They had been disciplined before for destroying hospital property but the orderlies wouldn't yell at her about it till morning.

 

Eventually freeing a length of fabric she carefully wound it around both frames before tucking the bulky bundle into her pants pocket.

 

Now there was nothing to do but wait.

 

* * *

 

"Uuuuuuugh," the girl groaned, surveying the mess the previous shift had left her. There was an empty pizza box and paper plates everywhere. The papers she'd left on her desk had greasy fingerprints all over them and someone had moved her chair. Emily couldn't find it and settled for a far inferior one nearby.

 

"I hate those guys," she muttered to herself, plopping down at her desk and logging into her machine. At least they'd taken off and left her in peace. They were supposed to do a formal shift hand off but this wasn't the first time one of them had stepped out. She'd rather deal with their mess than their personalities so she didn't actually mind. The internship was barely tolerable due to dealing with Dr. Staple. When you took their behavior into account as well it was really difficult to justify staying.

 

She looked at the monitor feeds and huffed. Nobody was doing anything, like usual. She pulled out her notes for class and started flipping through them, glancing up at the monitors every minute or so. Every time, same old nothing. Patient Price and Patient Dunn fast asleep and Patient Crumb just sitting there on the bed. The glances became less frequent as nothing continued to change.

 

When the door clicked open, she didn't even look up from her papers, though she did glance once more at the screen. Still nothing. "You guys better clean up your mess," she said over her shoulder, realizing now they'd not taken off early, just stepped out for a smoke. "I'm not going to touch it, ok? And even if Dr. Staple doesn't care, I do. We should keep a neat and tidy office."

 

"Oh, I absolutely agree," Dennis said, surveying the room. "This lab is disgusting."

 

Emily was too frightened to scream. The pencil dropped from her hand and she started to hyperventilate. There was a thing... there was a thing she was supposed to do in an event like this. She turned back to the computer. What was the thing? She reached towards the keyboard but a large hand clamped around her wrist.

 

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that," he said from directly behind her. Trembling, she violently tried to escape his grasp but he quickly pulled her away from the desks. Her kicks and flailing arms were useless, there was nothing to knock over and no way to make a sound with his hand clamped over her mouth.

 

"I'm sorry," he repeated, breathing into her ear. The arms wrapped around her seized up and she struggled even more desperately against the grip. Familiar enough with the patient, she was perfectly aware of what was happening and what was about to happen. Unfortunately that information did not help her alter the outcome of the encounter.

 

* * *

 

Ignoring a call while in the shower is an absolutely reasonable thing to do. In truth Victoria had only caught the last couple strains of her ring tone before it stopped. There was just enough time for her to apply a generous dollop of soap to her scap before it started up again. Squinting through sudsy run off and shower spray she looked to the pile of discarded cloths where her phone was hidden. Under the warm spray of water and the lingering heat of her morning workout, Victoria felt a faint chill.

 

Though two rings was the universal 'pick up now' she finished rinsing the soap from her hair first. When it stopped and immediately started up again, that was when she let the fear start. Scrambling out of the shower, dripping wet, she dug through her workout cloths and extracted the phone.

 

Her hair felt like tentacles of a dark monster as long strands clung to her face and throat. "Hello?" she answered with a wavering voice. The number, though local, had not been recognizable.

 

"Oh thank god, she's there," a faint voice spoke away from the phone before coming close. "Victoria? Victoria, are you ok?" Dr Staple asked in an uncharacteristically breathless voice.

 

"Ummm... yes? What's-"

 

"They got out. The Hoard. They escaped some time this morning. We're sending a car."

 

Victoria suddenly felt as vulnerable as she was, crouched naked on the bathroom floor. Standing up, she held the phone with her shoulder and wrapped a towel around herself with shaking hands.

 

"A... a car? What? I don't understand. I'm-"

 

"It's just a precaution. There's no reason to think the Hoard knows where you live. The Cookes already have officers at their house." In the background more voices could be heard talking excitedly.

 

"That seems unnecessary, Dr Staple. There's no reason for- for- them to want to find me," Victoria bit her lip and stared up at the ceiling. After Dennis's rant there was no way she'd use that name for them again. "I appreciate the concern but it seems so-"

 

"What? No, no they're going to meet up with Travis and-" there was a muffled sound and then silence. Victoria tried to run her fingers through her damp hair but the strands snarled and tangled under her touch.

 

"Dr Staple? Dr Staple!" Victoria gripped the phone. The muffled sound again and she could hear the doctor finishing off her conversation with someone on the other end.

 

"Victoria, calm down. There's no real reason to panic," Victoria's eyes darted about the room then squeezed shut tight. She bit back the urge to shout that she hadn't been panicking till she'd gotten the doctor's call. "The officers in the car are just to scope out your building. We have no idea yet where the Hoard is going. But don't worry. The officers will follow you as you go about your day. I'll let you know as things develop." And the call disconnected.

 

Victoria glared at her phone before letting her arm drop to her side. "Brilliant," she muttered under her breath and stepped out of the bathroom.

 

It must have been some minor movement out of the corner of her eye that caused Victoria to stop. With a sense of dread that bordered on unreality, she slowly turned towards her front room where Orwell stood. Barefoot and shirtless, he turned towards her in a most poised way. One of her books was off the shelf and rested open in his hands. The dread coiled in on itself as the realization settled on her. Patricia stood in her living room.

 

Her hands started shaking and by the time she understood she held her phone it had clattered to the floor. The book snapped closed and Patricia was there in three quick steps. Victoria had only time to crouch and scramble for the device and by the time she gripped it Patricia's hand waited outstretched.  She shook so bad that she questioned her ability to even operate the thing.

 

"Now now, Victoria. Don't be difficult," Patricia scolded.

 

Breathing in gulps of air, feeling strangled by panic, she raised her trembling arm. The phone dropped into Patricia's expectant palm. It disappeared into a pocket and then strong hands were reaching out to grip her arm and rise her up.

 

"That's a good girl. And look at you, all fresh and clean. Isn't that pleasant? Please, come sit with me for a moment." She was dragged into the front room.

 

The thought of struggling certainly crossed her mind. Of screaming or toppling over a bookcase onto Patricia's head. Crying for help, summoning some neighbor or perhaps even the promised cops. And then what. There would be a fight and the Beast would emerge. She'd seen what the Beast could and would do. The idea of pulling more innocent people into this mess caused her voice to dry up and her limbs to remain limp. With a firm but gentle pressure on her shoulders, Patricia maneuvered her to the couch and forced her down before it, facing away.

 

She sat and watched as Patricia disappeared into the bathroom. She emerged a second later with Victoria's hairbrush, book still tucked under her arm. Pausing she smiled and moved to return it to the shelf. "Lovely piece, simply beautiful. The craftsmanship on these is so remarkable. I assume this section are the ones you made?" A fluttering hand swept to indicate a large swath of shelf and Victoria could only nod mutely. "The leather tooling is so pleasant."

 

Stepping lightly, Patricia moved to sit on the couch. Victoria's breath caught in her throat and then exhaled shakely as she felt a hand on her hair. Wordlessly Patricia began to brush her hair. Rivulets of water were forced out with each stroke. Streams of water trickled down her back and over hands, dripping audibly onto the floor.

 

"I've always envied a beautiful mane of hair," Patricia eventually spoke after several strokes. "And what lovely hair you have. I've always admired the volume and texture that Indian women have." The brush paused as she leaned down and inhaled deeply. "And such a modest shampoo. Is that a hint of jasmine?"

 

Victoria sat silently as the murderous escaped psychiatric patient brushed her hair. Reality felt like it was several feet away. She'd perhaps once had a passing fantasy of imagining Orwell's strong hands gently brushing her hair. Running his fingers in it possessively but also respectfully. The sort of thoughts one had fleetingly and perhaps behind the bottom of a beer glass. Patricia covetously stroking her wet hair as she sat on the floor in a damp towel was a hellish distortion of that. A fantasy turned nightmare.

 

"Wh.... wh... why are you here?" It was a struggle to speak. To fight against the crush of despair and shock. But the more she spoke, the easier it began to feel. "Patricia, what are you doing in my apartment?"

 

There was a gentle chuckle from behind her and she felt a hand briefly laid atop her head. A sort of caressing pet like one might apply to a dog. "Well we've just got out and thought we'd visit our friends. Stop by to say goodbye on our way out of town." The hand was lifted and the brushing resumed.

 

"...I... see..." Victoria licked her lips. She was growing cold all over and her hands hadn't stopped shaking. Was she going into shock? She'd no idea, the field medic texts she ordered wouldn't arrive till next month. "Can I get you anything to help with your trip? A shirt perhaps? I... I could make you a sandwich..."

 

The delighted laughter behind her seemed genuine. Patricia leaned forward, reaching past Victoria's head to place the brush atop the table. The heat from bare arm and chest felt scorching on the side of Victoria's face, her eyes fluttered closed. The next thing she felt was fingers running through her hair again, dividing it into chunks.

 

"Ever so helpful," Patricia began to slowly braid her hair. "Such pretty hair. A true reflection of your inner beauty, my dear. Your strength and resilience and pliability manifest exquisitely." There was a slight tug as a tangle was worked out. "Truly, of everyone at that hospital, you helped us the most. Without you and your kind words and books, why I doubt we would have opened up. And isn't that always the true key to success." The braiding paused and Patricia traced what had been woven so far. "We are our strongest when reaching out and helping one another. And you helped me be strong enough to reach out for the help I needed."

 

The encouraging squeeze of her shoulder caused Victoria to squeeze her own eyes shut. "There's a police car coming. And they're already at Casey's house."  She'd meant it as a threat but it immediately sounded more like a helpful piece of information. She swallow again.

 

"Thank you, my dear." Victoria could hear the smile in Patricia's voice and she cursed herself. Words kept betraying her.

 

"They should leave her alone," Victoria forced out. She wanted to say that she should be left alone as well but it was a little late for that. "It's not... it's not appropriate. Dennis is almost twice her age and Hedwig's half. Casey should be left in peace."

 

"Yes, I absolutely agree. But we're all allowed our little indulgences," Patricia sighed, again lightly running a finger over the partial braid. The implication hung heavy in the air. "And I'm sure she'll be safe with them," Patricia continued. "She's Pure after all..." There was an ever so faint mournful note to her voice as she said it.

 

"... unlike me?" Victoria couldn't help but whisper.

 

"Mmmmm," was the rather wordless response.  They sat in continued silence. Victoria imagined the police car parking across the street. Would they approach the building? Presumably they'd need to be buzzed up which meant... Victoria couldn't imagine what that would result in. They both sat in silence, Patricia's fingers continuing to work. Each section of hair crossing another felt like sand falling through an hourglass, counting down to who knew what.

 

Bright morning sunlight slanted through the window. Her books on the shelf glinted here and there where the gilt work caught the light. A portion of light fell across her outstretched leg but she could draw no warmth from it. The large figure behind her radiated heat, perhaps even an unnatural amount of it in Victoria's unstable assessment, but it too did not warm her.

 

Eventually the braid was finished and Patricia tucked it over her shoulder. With firm hands gripping her shoulders, Victoria was turned around to face the couch. She kept her eyes squeezed shut and flinched when she felt a finger on her chin.

 

"Now now, my dear. Don't be this way," the tone was chiding but underneath a wounded note. Eyes fluttering, Victoria forced herself to look up into the face of who she once knew as Orwell. Patricia smiled down at her and gave the tip of her nose a light stroke. Hands returned to her shoulders.

 

"Absolutely delightful," Patricia murmured before the most subtle of changes rolled over her. Victoria felt the grip on her shoulders tense and then relax only a fraction. A thumb that had stroked the edge of her collarbone stilled as Patricia blinked several times and looked down at her.  The expression was no longer coy and Patricia no longer there. For a long moment Dennis sat on the couch, hands resting on her shoulders, and she sat before him in a towel. He rolled his lower lip under his teeth and exhaled. With slow, deliberate movements he let go of her shoulders and raised his hands. He stood up, leaning almost dramatically to avoid touching her, and edged away from the couch.

 

"Goodbye, Victoria," he averted his gaze as he spoke and then quickly stepped out the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How lovely! Hitting 50k words at the halfway mark. Thus ends what I think of as Part 1. Next chapter is "Salutations" and I hope you like it. The story is definitely moving forward and therefor requires a bit more creative structure to lay track down in order for it to advance... which is a round about way of saying there will be more OCs and broader world building. It's still a Split fan fic though so the focus will remain on our darlings, don't worry. Am nervous though, but whatever. I write because the story delights me. If it amuses you as well, well that's just an extra bonus.
> 
> Am trying to think of a better story summary for the whole thing as it advances, but am reluctant to give anything away. Hence, also, the low number of tags. I'll add them as they come in. Also worried about sounding silly. Sometimes it feels like I'm trying to ask "Can the insignificant matter alongside the important few?" and then a couple twists later it feels more like "Exploring the idea of being worthy of love"... but who am I kidding. In the end it's just a smutty fan fic with that's way too slow of burn. Once again, trying to masquerade the basic idea of sex as something fancier than it is. 
> 
> Since I can't be writing *all* the time, I've built out a playlist for the story to help me think. I'd consider it "spoiler-y" but I doubt anyone else could extract what's going on from it. It's [over at Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/simplysithel/playlist/2qDx6jxNNNF0uDqwRFYUPY) if you're interested.
> 
> I can hand over two non-spoilery tracks at the moment though:  
> \- [I Will Possess Your Heart by Death Cab for Cutie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq-yP7mb8UE) : song for the mess that is Orwell/Victoria/Patricia. Fittingly, it's 8.5 minutes long, half of which is just an epic build up. Lets just call it the theme song for the whole story, why don't we.  
> \- [Control by Halsey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so8V5dAli-Q) : song for Dennis, who is my favorite alter to write and so very sad, in the best way possible.


	8. Salutations

Casey sat unmoving in her chair. A sense of danger had suddenly washed over her and she tipped her head ever so slightly, looking at her uncle. Yes, his frustration was mounting but she didn't feel like the feeling was coming from him. It was obviously the cop cars out front. She was just feeling frightened because there was an escaped convict on the loose who had a history of being obsessed with her. Totally the reason one would feel an icy chill run up their back. It'd just taken a while to sink in, she told herself. That's why there was a sharp tingling sensation at the base of her skull just now. It was just a delayed, perfectly natural response.

 

Carefully, she reached out and took a sip of juice. It was unclear how long they would sit there. She'd been on her way to school when he'd informed her she was staying home today. It'd been difficult but she'd squashed the initial wave of anger that such a ruling inspired in her. Placing the glass on the table, she now felt more able to discuss things. Like an adult.

 

"Why can't I go to school?" she asked in a calm voice. While she’d already been running late, she could still catch at least some of first period if she left now. "The police said they'd follow me through out my day. I should be perfectly safe. I have a test today."

 

Her uncle just shook his head and stared into his coffee cup. Though she hadn't seen him do it, she was pretty sure he'd tipped at least one shot of bourbon in there by the smell of it. "The car will follow you, yeah," he muttered. "But there's only one of them. I don't want to risk you going off to school and have the psycho come sniffing around here while you and the cops are gone." John shook his head and took another sip of coffee, clearly dwelling on how such a scenario would play out. 

 

Casey huffed, irritated as usual by the man. "You don't have to stay here," she tried to suggest. "Harold's bar opens in an hour, right? You could... You could wait there till I get home?" It made her sick to actually suggest her uncle go to the bar but there was no way she'd be able to stand a whole day just hiding from the Horde in his company. This house was oppressive enough even when he wasn't in it. Her uncle didn't seem to appreciate the suggestion.

 

Slamming his hand into the table, they locked stares and Casey felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. It'd been a while since he'd last hit her but the electric feel in the air suggested he was on the verge of it. Apparently the cops outside did nothing to protect her from this monster, which made her skeptical they'd be any better against the other one. 

 

"I'm not going to hide in a bar, I'm not a coward," he rumbled as he leaned back in his chair. Casey drew a sharp breath when she saw him lift a previously unseen rifle from his lap. "You know how this works, Casey bear. We're not prey. We're hunters. If we just run away now," he gulped another mouthful of 'coffee'. "We'll just be running our whole lives. Nah, got a plan here. You know how we lure the deer out in winter? With a salt lick. And I got myself a big o' block right here that I'm sure this guy is real hungry for."

 

Casey felt her stomach roil at the thought. So her uncle thought to use her as bait. Thought that, despite everything she'd explained about her escape, he would be able to take out the Beast with one pathetic rifle and two cops as backup. What was that? A 6.5mm Creedmoor? Her uncle had always been a vain, stupid man... she really shouldn't have been surprised by this decision.

 

Her hand rested on the table and she stared at it. What she wanted to do was run and given the circumstances she was certain that it wasn't that foolish of idea. Deeper down she knew what she wanted to really do. The urge to wrestle the rifle away from him and finish what she'd failed to do years before coiled within her. Despite the number of guns in the house, it was rare that John let one into her sight. They normally only came out during hunting season, and occasionally the illegal off season expedition, and moved straight from the locked cabinet to his truck. That he lowered it back to his lap, hand resting lightly on it she could now see, did nothing to lessen the tension in the room. The... something in the room. 

 

There was something in the room. "No!" She cried suddenly, struggling up and away from where she sat at the table. It wasn't quite fast enough and the Beast's arm whipped out as he stepped around the corner, catching her about the waist. She thought to struggle but froze as she was dragged forward with the Beast as he lunged and gripped the rifle her uncle raised. A quick jerk and thrust on the barrel of the gun sent the butt smashing into her uncle's face and he toppled backwards. When the Beast released her to leap over the table towards John, she didn't move. 

 

As the Beast engaged, wrapping his arms around her uncle’s neck, she noticed him stumble slightly and slacken. The grip was maintained but she realized it was no longer the Beast that held him. The large man struggled but then eventually sagged in Dennis's arms. Carefully he lowered her uncle to the floor and stood, adjusting glasses that he'd quickly pulled from his pocket. 

 

"I'm sorry," he sounded genuine, "I know he's your family and I wouldn't want to hurt your family. I just came to... to say goodbye. And to-" he stopped abruptly. 

 

Casey was staring at the large man piled at the feet of her attacker. Slowly she walked around the table to stand before them. Her tormentors, together, for once. Her breathing had grown rapid and shallow as she felt something rise within herself. Here before her were two men. One was a man who was supposed to protect her but had hurt her. The other one who had hurt her but now seemingly meant her no harm. A stranger that felt... connected to her somehow. An insane connection, but something more than what her uncle had ever seemed to feel.

 

"Casey," Dennis asked in that cautious tone she'd heard so many times before. "Is everything all right?" He looked from girl to unconscious man and back again. The same question she'd heard before from different concerned individuals and again her voice seized up. As much as she wanted to shriek and scream the truth of what was not right, she stood there silently. Struggling, she tried to keep her expression neutral.

 

Unlike all the others who had been brave enough to raise the question, Dennis didn't move on in the face of her silence. He continued to look between man and girl as he breathed out heavily. "Casey," he repeated. Large hands that had once frightened her, struggled to hurt her, now slid back down to rest on the chest of the real monster in the room. "What is wrong?"

 

"He's my uncle," she said because it was the only thing she could force out. The other words remained locked inside her. Dennis nodded slowly at that, rolling his lower lip under his teeth.

 

"I see," he said in a tight voice. Jerking his head to the side, he huffed, clearly fighting someone for the Light. Looking back to her he said in a calm voice. "We will deal with this, but first- Casey, I knew you wanted to know why the Beast spared you and I thought it best that you be given the chance to speak to him before we leave." His fingers rippled over the form of her uncle. "I understand you may not be comfortable in his presence so I could also explain-"

 

"I want to speak to the Beast," she said in a rush, not giving herself time to second guess the urge. Dennis inhaled sharply, and closed his eyes. Reaching up, he removed his glasses and inhaled a second time, chest swelling. With the release of the breath his eyes opened, dilated pools of black. The Beast breathed heavily for several seconds, looking down to the man in his grip and curling his fingers slightly. Without looking at her, he rumbled with an exhale, "What is it you do not understand?"

 

"Why didn't you kill me?" Casey forced herself to ask, feeling both at the cusp of a realization and lost down a path of poor decisions and bad luck. She knew conversing with such a monster into her living room was a bad, dangerous idea.

 

With a sinuous roll of the head and a quick side step, the Beast was suddenly by her side. He breathed deeply, eyes fluttering, and grinned widely. "You're Pure. You're different. Like us." 

 

Casey shook her head, covering her mouth with her hand. Reaching up, the Beast coiled a lock of her hair around his finger. "There are so few of us, but I knew there would be others out there." Lashing out, she tried to bat his hand away while also taking a stumbling step back. 

 

"There is no way I am like you," she hissed. The Beast just tipped his head, reaching up again to touch her hair. 

 

"But of course you are," he said in a startling matter of fact way. "Surely you've started to notice the changes? Something special about you, something different, something more. You were born different, the pain inside you has unlocked it." Inhaling deeply through his nose, his grin was almost inhumanly wide. Casey tried not to look at his teeth, flinching at what he said. “It was there all along”. She turned her head away but panted as she couldn't clear the visual from her sight. She did not look at him but she could see him run his gaze over her. Gasping more desperately, she struggled against the idea that began to creep over her. A hand rose to her throat.  

 

"Before it was very faint," the man continued, "but I can tell more clearly now. It's not yet as strong as mine or even the broken man's, but it's there. Power. You have it." With a happy rumble, he ducked his head and leaned in close to her.

 

"No!" she cried, struggling away from him. "I... You're insane. You're crazy. I want to talk to Dennis again."  The Beast chuckled, stepping forward. There was almost no space between them now.

 

"It doesn't work that way," he murmured, hands closing in and brushing lightly against her. "Dennis has no-"

 

"Hedwig!" she cried suddenly, reaching up to grip the man's shoulders. "Hedwig, please!" The man jerked forward suddenly, stumbling against her and then quickly lurching back a step. Frantic hands were raised and began to wave about.

 

"No no no! Casey, it's ok!" Hedwig cried, "He wasn't going to hurt you!" Casey stared at him, wondering if he even realized what had been going on just then.

 

"Thank you Hedwig, I just got so scared there for a moment." She patted at his shoulders and tried to calm him and herself at the same time. "Thank you for coming back to me."

 

Rubbing at his bare arm, Hedwig shifted back and forth. "You don't have to be scared of him, Casey. He's not going to hurt you," he said in a defensive tone. 

 

Nodding, Casey licked her lips and thought fast. "Yes, but sometimes when you're scared of things you can't help it, you know? Even if it doesn't make sense. I'll... I'll try talk more with him later. When I’m less scared. But right now I was hoping I could talk to Dennis. Do you think you could do that? For me?"

 

With a head tip and some hesitation, Hedwig eventually replied, "Uuuuugh, yeah I guess I could do that. Okay. Casey, I'm so sorry." She felt a shiver roll over her as he spoke continuously through the transition, ending with Dennis's concerned voice. For a moment the uncanny way they appeared to operate, linked together but also separate, seemed overwhelmingly foreign and she had to look away.

 

"We didn't understand, well, Hedwig says he knew, but we didn't understand. The Beast, he explained it to us on our way here. I'm not sure I understand much better than you...  but we're. Different. More. Perhaps… not even human." Lifting a hand, he stared at it and flexed his fingers. "It's different for us because... only the Beast has the power, but he said you would experience it too. Though even he didn't know what it would be like. David, he has strength like us, but there's also the way he knows things when he touches a person. Mr. Glass, he's incredibly smart and he seems to just... know things. He understands-"

 

"No," Casey whispered and Dennis immediately stopped talking. "This... can't be right. I'm not like you. I don't want to be like you."

 

"But you are," he breathed, again looking to be in pain. "In more way than one. We are so alike, you and I." This time she understood what he meant as his gaze traveled to a shoulder and then slid down to a hip. Inhaling sharply, she tugged the unbuttoned flannel shirt she wore closed. There was no way he could see any of her marks now, but it was clear he had at some point. "You and I and the Beast... I understand better now." 

 

"What, you cut yourself too?" she sneered, angry to see him reacting so. She didn't want sympathy or understanding from this man, this psychopathic serial killer. She scrubbed at her eyes, at some point tears had begun to form and she didn’t want them. Shaking his head, Dennis seemed to be weighed down heavily. 

 

"No... though I have been cut before..." Casey froze, remembering details from the leaked documents when they city had hunted him, before his capture. "But it's not even that. It's... the compulsion to do it. I understand. The Beast understands. We too are driven to do things. Things that just can't be explained to other people, and even if you did they wouldn't really understand." 

 

Rejecting this idea, Casey shook her head violently. She wanted to shout at him, to deny any similarities between them when her uncle groaned from the floor. Looking back down at the man, she felt panic rising inside her. There was no way she could explain what was happening to her uncle. She was having difficulty understanding everything herself.

 

The groan was cut off as Dennis crouched down and again wrapped an arm around the man's neck. The motion was calm, orderly, and while her uncle thrashed again, heels kicking only a couple times, he went limp soon afterwards. Uncurling his arm, Dennis remained crouched next to the man. "Casey," he said carefully, still looking at her uncle. "Does this man have anything to do with...  with what we saw?"

 

"Uncle John didn't make any of those marks," she whispered, speaking only the truth. She didn't need to explain that he'd inspired them though. Dennis just shook his head and stood. She wondered abstractly what Dennis would say if he knew he and the others had inspired a new set of marks on her skin. The patch of skin above her left hip ached at the thought. Carefully he stepped towards her, hands raised in a placating gesture. 

 

"Casey, I think it's important you explain what's going on, because there's no way we're going to leave you with this man." Looking back at him, Dennis frowned. "I don't want to speak ill against your family, but there's something about him I don't like."

 

With a sharp laugh, Casey felt the situation finally start to spiral out of control. "Explain or what? You'll drag me off with you? Stay here forever? Kill him?" She laughed quickly again, trying to cover the way her voice had sounded as she asked the final question. Dennis turned back to her, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Is that what you would like? Would that help?" The question felt like fire scorching her thoughts and she stared at him. 

 

"How?" she breathed. "Do you have a knife? Your hands? Would you use your teeth?" Dennis flinched at this barrage of questions but his face showed that he considered his approach.

 

"I would just strangle him, I think," Dennis said after a moment, glancing down at the man. "Yes. I would just strangle him." He started to turn fully back towards the pile that was her uncle but Casey's hand darted out and gripped his arm, stopping him. With a dazed expression, he looked down at her hand on his arm and then up at her face. 

 

"No," Casey breathed. The grip on his arm shifted to a gentle push as she moved him to the side. "No," she repeated and walked to the chair that John had tipped out of. Bending down, she picked up the gun and gripped it with with comfort and familiarity. It'd been many years since she'd been allowed to touch one but it still felt familiar. She'd lived in this house for so long, always surrounded by the ghost of guns and the assorted activities but never allowed to touch or participate. It felt like stealing a sweet, finally getting her hands on something she'd wanted for so long but had been continuously denied. 

 

When she turned back to the men, Dennis was standing frozen in place, wide eyes fixed on the gun. Surely he wasn't that much more scared of this one than the first she'd shot him with. She stepped up to her uncle and shouldered the rifle.

 

"Casey," Dennis said and she was surprised when she found him trying to wrestle it from her grasp. The struggle was clearly not as brief as he expected it would be. She managed to hold onto it for the first couple of tugs and they wound up stumbling several steps in one direction and then another. Eventually he'd backed her to a wall and pinned her with his hip while he wrenched the gun from her grip. Quickly he stepped back, breathing hard. 

 

There was no way she would ever voice it, but she felt hurt. Betrayed even. She'd thought that if there was anyone who would have been understanding, it would have been him. Her lip curled in disgust and she glared at him. The desire to scream, to call the cops in and drive him out was a breath away. 

 

"Not with the gun," he chided her, setting it on the table. "It would call the police here far too soon and would raise too many question." 

 

"No it wouldn't," Casey hissed. "I'd say I was aiming for you and missed." Her eyes narrowed further. "I could still try. Maybe my story would hold up better if my second shot didn't miss."

 

This completely valid idea seemed to distress him and he ran a hand over his scalp. "You don't understand, it's very messy. It would make such a mess. Have you seen someone shot before?" He asked in an earnest voice.

 

"No, but I've seen plenty of animals shot," she replied dryly. One of her uncle's friends had shot his foot off on a trip many years back, but they'd kept her far away from the sight of him. All she'd been able to see was blood soaked leaves when she'd circled back later to the location, but that had been familiar sight by that point. 

 

"If you want him dead, I'll strangle him," Dennis half negotiated, half begs. "Just, please, no guns. I hate the mess."

 

Casey rolled her eyes. "I don't want you to kill him, I thought I made that pretty clear. If anyone is going to kill him, it's me." The words felt unreal as they left her mouth but she was also almost drunk on the feeling of 'finally'. It'd been so long, so many years, that she'd carried this weight and now... now she'd be done with it. She'd carried the burden of her uncle for so long she now was almost giddy with the urge to get it over and done with. Freedom was so close.

 

Now rubbing his jaw, Dennis was giving this problem his full attention. He stared down at the man, then back up at Casey, and then down at the man again. "I really never stab people, it’s also quite messy. Do you have a... a rope or anything?" he asked, looking around the room.

 

"Messy?" Casey cried, incredulous. "You EAT people, Dennis!! How is that not messy!?" 

 

Wincing, Dennis made a patting hand gesture, clearly encouraging her to keep her volume down. "The Beast eats people. The very idea makes my stomach turn. The whole process can be... quite unpleasant. I don't want to talk about it." He continued to look around the room. "But I think if you strangle him and then I give him a shake around his neck afterwards it'll look like I killed him. At the very least we'll keep your handprints off him. The neck bruises so easily."

 

Slumping into a chair as Dennis disappeared into another room, Casey faught down an urge to laugh hysterically. "This is insane," she breathed to herself. A moment later Dennis returned, one of her uncle's bandanas in his grip. 

 

"Don't say that," he snapped, twisting the fabric into a cord and then handing it to her. "This is perfectly reasonable." Casey looked up at him and he quickly avoided her gaze. "I'm not claiming to know everything. Anything. Or... or even asking to. But..." Here he gestured from her torso to the pile of man. "I know a bad situation when I see one. And if you want this to happen," he shrugged, looking at the floor. "then it can't be wrong."

 

She didn't particularly find his approval of this necessary but it was faintly encouraging. The rest of it went quite fast. With the fabric around his neck, she was easily able to close of his airway and hold it long enough to be certain he was dead. There had been some thrashing and Dennis had moved in to help but a glare from her kept him back. For once it was her turn to pin down her uncle's struggling arms as she heaved over him, straining. Her fingers were numb by the time she let go of the bandana and stumbled off of him. 

 

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she suddenly felt self conscious. Looking around, she took in the state of her life. Things in general hadn't been good and they'd gotten a lot worse in the last couple months. Now they'd reached a sort of crescendo and here she was, in the middle of her living room with her uncle finally dead and an escaped psychiatric patient staring at her in a way that made her uncomfortable. No one should look at her with that much understanding in their eyes after what she'd just done. 

When he moved forward, crouching down to take her place atop her uncle she shook her head. "Stop, no. Don't bother." Dennis looked from the body back up at her. Carefully he at least unwound the bandana from the man's neck and tucked it into his pocket. Before he could argue she shook her head again and held up her hands. "It doesn't matter."

 

"They'll know, Casey. We need to-"

 

"Fine," she snapped and turned on her heel to march into the garage. Dennis had reached the doorway behind her by the time she'd turned back, gasoline can in her hands. He might have tried to say something to stop or her not, she wasn't paying attention at this point. With a rocking motion, she sloshed out the canister over the whole of the room, splashing her uncle primarily but then the curtains and walls after a bit as well. Moving to the stove, she clicked on all four gas burners and let them run unlit. 

 

"Casey," Dennis said. He was getting quite good at conveying so much with just her name. After a moment he disappeared into the garage in returned with another canister and handed it to her just as hers ran out. Silently they worked through the three others that had been kept in the garage, Casey choosing which particular spots of her house held the greatest horrors for her and being certain to thoroughly soak it with fuel. Her bed took an entire half canister.

 

The fumes were quite impressive by the time they made their way back to the living room. With some shuffling of papers, she went through her uncle's desk till she found a box of matches, passing three lighters in her search. 

 

Standing up, she turned and looked at Dennis. He stood passively by her side, arms clasped before himself. The fact that he was shirtless and barefoot, wearing only his hospital pants seemed hardly noteworthy in the face of everything else. There was one thing that she managed to feel curious about amidst the haze of this madness. "Why are you helping me?"

 

"Because I realize now we're connected, we're the same. And I know what we did to you was wrong. I never meant to take you.” He looked down as he spoke, shoulders hunched slightly. “You were never meant to be an offering, I should have let you go. The plan had always been to just take the two girls we knew were Impure. It's my fault, I know that. Not Patricia's or Hedwig's or even the Beast's. It was my fault that you were put in danger, that we destroyed your life. I made a mistake, I got sloppy. So even though I now know we are so alike, it has come at the cost of... everything." Dennis looked like he was going to be sick. "There's no reason for you to forgive me, I understand that. But I will try to make up for it in whatever way I can."

 

Casey didn't think it was possible to respond to such a statement and so she didn't. Turning to the soaked furniture in front of her, she pulled a match from the box and struck it. There was an achingly long moment where she stood on the cusp. On one side she was a traumatized teenager who had an unlucky lot in life. On the other she was a destitute tragedy of her own making, with the promise of the unknown in more ways than one lurking. "Fuck you," she breathed and flung the match.

 

* * *

 

With numb fingers, Victoria plucked at the baggy shirt she'd been wearing. She'd been sitting at the police station for so long that the morning's shock had started to wear off. It'd seemed difficult to do anything, after Patricia had left. Without her phone she'd sat on the floor in shock for far too long. Dressing herself in order to find someone to notify the police had really felt like a challenge. Formulating words to explain the situation had been an achievement. Hours later she now wish she'd had a little more forethought. A book to read, for one, would be divine. She'd already worked her way through what magazines she could find and she'd been scolded by an officer for expressing too much interest in one of the manuals on desk. It could have been a catalogue of office supplies and she'd have leapt at the chance to read it. This sitting was really testing her limits.

 

Victoria hadn't even actually moved when the officer tasked with watching her said, "If you could wait a little longer, Ms. Varati." She scowled at the woman and slumped in her chair. A door opened down the hall and Victoria perked up, hopeful perhaps that the whoever she was being held to talk to had freed up. Casey Cooke walked out of the room, a female office following her, and then two more exiting the room. 

 

The sight of the girl inspired a complex wave of emotions in Victoria. She was concerned, worried, but most importantly, guilty. Watching the little parade make its wait over to her, Victoria understood that Casey was only here because of Victoria's meddling. And that if Casey was here, nothing good had happened. Victoria figured she'd personally escaped her encounter quite well, but Patricia had always been the most reasonable of them all. Who knew what Dennis had done? The idea that Hedwig would actually harm someone was easily dismissed and the idea of someone escaping the Beast so unscathed seemed unbelievable. While Casey looked dazed, there were no bandages or wounds anywhere visible on her person. None the less, Dennis had done something and now the girl appeared to have been just as swallowed up by the system as Victoria.

 

Upon request of the officer, Casey took a seat next to Victoria. The two nodded to each other politely. A wordless greeting and acknowledgement in this time and place of chaos. Victoria of course burned with a desire to ask what had happened but that seemed exceptionally... crass. Surely something terrible had transpired but Victoria wanted to respect the girl's privacy. So rather than ask, she sat calmly and tried not to stare. 

 

The soft smell of smoke reached Victoria's nose before Casey decided to speak. "Your hair looks nice," Casey said in an offhand sort of way. An attempt at the sort of small talk normal girls sitting together might say.

 

"Patricia did it," Victoria choked out, raising a hand to her mouth as the memory stirred the morning's panic. Casey turned to her fully, eyes wide. With a sob, Victoria quickly described the encounter. There really wasn't much to say but she felt relieved that Casey seemed to understand how distressing it had all been. Unlike the police who she had spoken to earlier, there were no probing questions in response. No insinuations that she'd somehow encouraged it.

 

Hiccuping softly, Victoria dabbed at her eyes, the calm she had achieved the last couple of hours quickly disintegrating. She struggled for a moment, wrestling with how to ask what she considered a horribly rude question. "How are you?" she finally settle on, keeping it neutral. 

 

It wasn't surprising that Casey didn't respond right away, Victoria had the impression she might have paused just the same had they been sitting on someone's living room on a casual Sunday. The girl had a heavy layer of internal reflection to start with, she couldn't imagine what the weight of more trama would do to her. 

 

"My house burned down," she said in a voice devoid of emotion. "And my uncle is dead." Victoria sobbed, bringing a hand to her mouth. She worried she might be sick, so overwhelming were the feelings of guilt and remorse. "I think they're a little confused on what to do with me." Casey added, turning her head to track the officer she'd been speaking as the woman approached someone on the other side of the room. 

 

"I'm so sorry," Victoria managed to gasp. "It must be- at a time like this- how are-" Though she struggled to comprehend the magnitude of what the girl said, she felt the words dry up in her mouth at the look Casey gave her.

 

"I'm.... ok," Casey spoke in a very careful way and that, more so than the news itself, gave Victoria a fright. Luckily the girl seemed to sense Victoria was on the edge of hysterics and gave her something else to fret about. Something more reasonable and actionable. "I'm mostly just worried what they're going to do with me now," she said and once again turned to watch the room. "I don't have any more relatives left at this point."

 

Victoria had to remove the hand she'd clamped over her own mouth to reply. "Oh my poor thing... " she breathed. She wracked her brain, trying to at least be useful to fend off her guilt at having complained earlier. So Patricia had braided her hair and invaded her home, her space, her privacy. That seemed like nothing in the face of losing one's home and last remaining family. "Well... ummm... No, they shut down last year. Um," Victoria bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling as she thought hard. "Saint Vincent's. They'll probably send you to Saint Vincent's home for children. I mean, you're not over 18 yet are you?" 

 

Looking at the girl she knew immediately that she was planning on running away. There was just a sort of tension to her and the way she frowned that made is quite obvious. "Not yet, no," Casey sighed and turned to look down the hallway. Having worked for years with a number of outreach programs Victoria was flooded with the knowledge of how badly that could and likely would go for her. The streets of any city, not just Philadelphia, had a history of chewing up pretty young girls like Casey and spitting out their broken remains- usually figuratively- years latter, if ever. She once again spoke without thinking.

 

"Hey, why don't... Why don't you stay with me?" Casey shot her the confused and disturbed look that such a strange proposal deserved. "No, I mean it. I- I had a roommate and she moved out last summer. It wouldn't be a problem at all to clear out the second room again. And, I mean, it'd only be for a bit, right? Till you turn 18? Or, I mean, until you find your footing. However long it takes. I just don't want to see you get lost in... the system." Here Victoria wrapped her arms about herself and shivered. The guilt of having destroyed what little of a life she'd had left by encouraging her to visit the hospital suffocated her. The thought of the girl's life getting worse was unbearable, "and I think I could use the company for a while. Seeing Patricia in my house... She just... The door hadn't been broken, she'd just waltzed in, I don't even know how... I think it'll be awhile before I feel comfortable there by myself." Her voice was gloomy as she realized she spoke the truth. "I think I'll have to get a roommate now no matter what."

 

Victoria blinked a couple times and realized her eyes were watery. Scrubbing her face once again, she laughed. "Sorry, that's a terrible invitation. Please, come stay with me at the apartment our collective tormentors knows the location of and can easily break into." Another self deprecating laugh and she shook her head.

 

"Ok," Casey said before Victoria could rescind the invitation out of awkwardness, much to the woman's surprise. Looking over she saw Casey nodding to herself slowly and looking thoughtful. "Yeah, that'd... I'd really appreciate that.. and it'd just be for a couple months." She flashed a weak smile at Victoria. "My dad... He'd never forgive me if I didn't actually graduate high school."

 

* * *

 

The fact that Dr. Madison didn't sit behind the desk of his office any more wasn't surprising. He'd already resigned from both boards he served on, taking full responsibility for Emily William's death. While there hadn't been an official memo circulated at the hospital about his departure, everyone had been talking about it. No, what was surprising was that the name 'Dr. Staple' hadn't showed up anywhere along the way in the surrounding press and public statements. There's been the edge of an incoming disaster about her research and then, in the face of this, nothing.

 

While some things changed, others remained the same. Ellie had not been invited to sit and so she continued to stand before the desk, trying to project an aura of calm. The woman across the table peered at her over clasped hands. "Ellie," she continued. "I hope you can appreciate the severity of this situation." 

 

With a sift jerk of her head, Ellie nodded. They'd been covering the costs- financial, political, social- that patient Crumb's escape had cost the hospital. None of what had been discussed seemed particularly interesting to her though. She just kept waiting for the part where she was informed she'd be fired and her research terminated. 

 

"I'm going to need your assurances that this won't happen again," the woman said and Dr Staple drew in a sharp breath. 

 

"Ah-" she choked, cleared her throat, and started over. "Of course! Patient Crumb was... always at the limits of the facility's control. Patient Dunn and patient Price have been far easier to work with and I feel often yield just as interesting results. I'm certain we'll have no problem with them." She felt flustered but cut herself off before she rattled on too long and sounded like that wretched Varati woman. 

 

Dr. Talisker nodded and reached out to carefully straighten a pen on her desk. "Excellent. The Board believes you are trying your best and that your... sometimes unorthodox approach is what we need to really crack this problem. Rest assured that your... efforts will remain just between us." Ellie blinked at that and frowned, having no idea what the woman was talking about. 

 

Clearly misunderstanding Dr. Staple's reaction, she raised a hand as if to forestall any protests as she continued. "Mr. Robertson had already informed us of your plans. While he was correct to be worried about the safety of his fellow staff members, the data collected from the... incident has proven to be quite... fascinating. I know the board almost denied your request of monitoring for all the rooms in your ward but now we see the foresight of such an action. Those readings..." The woman shook her head, smiling. "The folks over at the Pentagon are very interested in what your team has been able to piece together so far. Keep up the good work."

 

With such a clear dismissal, Ellie felt herself turn and walk out of the room on numb legs. The emotional whiplash she suffered from the whims of this board was stunning. In the span of a two days they'd gone from accusing her of being toxic for her fringe theories, claiming she threatened the credibility of the entire hospital, to forgiving her for what... murder? 

 

Walking down the hallway, she wrapped her arms around herself and kept her head down. Ben Robertson, that little twit. She fumed to know that he'd tried to rat her out to the board, even after their discussion of how he supported the idea. Bitterly she couldn't help but wish for a moment it had been Alice working the late shift, if only to spite the man. He'd reported her hypothetical work to the board and now they thought she'd done something intentionally. They thought she'd orchestrated the encounter in the lab and approved of it.

 

Her hands felt cold. Looking down at them, she flexed her fingers and then made a fist. There was a fear that sort of sat in her gut, combined with nervousness. The truth was she'd been as shocked as anyone when reports of what the morning crew had found began to spread. The faint idea of tempting the Beast with some new bait had been that, faint. This escape was not her doing but now she worried that bringing up such a fact would undo their misplaced faith in her.

 

* * *

 

"I know it's not much," Victoria said, one hand nervously fidgeting with her hair while the other gestured about the room, "but consider it yours. I've been in this unit for years and years so the damage deposit it completely negligible... You should put up any posters or shelves or whatever you want to make it feel more like... like your room. This is your room. This is your home. Look, see, the door even locks." She demonstrated the mechanism. "My previous roommate asked for that and it seems quite reasonable. So, you know, you can feel comfortable that this is your space and I won't come barging in unless- well, I mean, no barging in general. I'll only enter if you let me." Nodding to herself, she appeared satisfied to have so thoroughly tackled the point she wanted to get across.

 

Casey nodded, a knot in her throat. She appreciated what the woman was trying to do. To think that a stranger she'd known only for a month had more compassion than her fucking uncle... Well, that actually wasn't that hard of idea to believe. Her room back at home had once had a lock though it'd been busted as long as she remembered. And barging didn't even begin to cover the number of ways her uncle had intruded into her space, making her feel like there was nowhere in that house they'd lived in together to hide. She wouldn't call it a home. Casey hadn't had a home for many years now. Just a roof over her head that she was happy to know now was nothing more than charred wood and ash. Just like her past.

 

"Thanks," Casey said, stepping into the room and unslinging her duffle bag onto the bed. There’d been very few items that survived the inferno and an emergency services group had provided her what little clothing and necessities she now possessed. Moving to the window, she peeked through the curtains. "Nice," she added. Turning back to Victoria she clasped her hands behind her back. 

 

"Yes, I definitely love the views from here..." There was a pause and Victoria reached for the door as she stepped out. "Excellent, so... I'll just... Leave you to get settled in..." She looked at her hand on the door, clearly struggling to decide whether to close it or leave it open. It seemed like it took considerable effort for her to let go and just take a step back. "Umm, I was going to cook chicken tonight so... I expect dinner will be ready by... 7?" There was another awkward pause before she fled to her own room with an "ok, bye then."

 

* * *

 

While Casey seemed to settle in quite easily to their new life, returning to school the very next day, Victoria faced more of a struggle. There was the press, again. Their hounding of her, especially at work, proved to be quite taxing. Always she had nothing to say, no comment or even a look for cameras that peered at her while they bombarded her with the most ridiculous questions. Her coworkers though, flustered to have their peaceful library so disrupted, had a couple things to say. No one ever really blamed Victoria for the escape, but there was a constant air of unease now amongst the library staff. 

 

It was Casey, funny enough, who unknowingly helped her with the issue of the press. Though Victoria never mentioned the problem to the girl, she spoke to the police and highlighted the sensitive situation of protecting an underage child from such nosey reporters at this delicate point of time in her life. She didn't really know how the politics between the police department and reporters played out but she was relieved that they seemed to step back a bit after that. Their home was left alone at least and she never once heard of Casey being approached by them.

 

While she was not plagued by press after work hours, other worried weighed her down. It was a struggle to even admit it to herself, but she missed Orwell. Her visits to the hospital continued, still checking in on Mr. Glass and David Dunn weekly, but the absence of Orwell and the others was felt. Often she'd catch herself wondering where he was or how he was doing. She wondered if the others let him read now and what books he might be able to get his hands on. Guilt would always chase away such thoughts when she'd catch herself thinking them however.

 

The idle daydreaming was bad enough, but still preferred over her nightmares. She refused to think of them as anything but nightmares, regardless of how they played out. It was absolutely natural for her to dwell on the recent traumas she'd experienced, for her mind to process such things in her sleep. She just wished her mind would do a better job keeping certain memories separate when reviewing them. Nightmares of the Beast's hand around her neck would mingle with the feel of Patricia's hands in her hair. Recall of evenings spent with Orwell amongst a pile of books blended with her memory of Luke's muscular torso, which she'd caught sight of that day of the attack. Her nightmares hissed at her with the collective voices of the patient Crumb, night after night. Sometimes she'd wake up shaking in fear, or deeply flushed, or so consumed with a stray philosophical point that a hypothetical Dennis has raised she'd stumble into her living room and begin flipping through her books. Actually, she always wound up turning to her books after any of the nightmares. Books always contained the answers, or distractions, one needed after such  nightmares.

 

Again Casey proved to be quite helpful, though Victoria always cursed herself for being so loud and clumsy. No matter how hard she tried to be quiet as she crept to her collection lining the living room walls, she seemed to always wake Casey. The girl would wander out of her room at whatever ridiculous hour it was and they'd sit together for a while. Thankfully she'd never ask questions or try to talk even. They'd just sit in silence, often reading together, before Victoria felt she could return to her room again and try for more sleep. The company, and quite acceptance, went a long way to calm Victoria.

 

It really was surprising how helpful the girl was. Victoria thought she'd been the generous one to offer Casey a place to stay but it quickly became obvious that Casey was the one doing her a favor by keeping her company during these difficult times.

 

* * *

 

It turned out that the intern killed in the Horde's escape hadn't been local and Casey had therefore been unable to attend her funeral. That didn't stop her from etching yet another tally mark into her hip though. This one was the fourth in another set of five and therefor thankfully didn't cross any of the old scars. It hurt worse to carve those into her flesh but that hadn't stopped her from following through with it twice already. She had no doubt she'd be crossing it soon enough. The wound marking the guard he'd killed had thankfully healed over at this point and Casey wasn't surprised to find Victoria kept a better stocked medical cabinet than her uncle had. Though she couldn't suppress the need to mark each of the Beast's kills, she was at least sensible about it and tried to keep the wounds clean.

 

As eager as she was to be helpful, Victoria also seemed quite intent on giving her space which meant it was easy enough to keep the scars and new cuts hidden from the woman. They never spoke of her uncle or the what had happened at the Cooke household when the Horde visited, which Casey was grateful for. In truth, she found herself grateful for quite a number of things as the days turned into weeks and then a month and then another.

 

Life under Victoria's guardianship proved to be surprisingly pleasant. The woman was immensely supportive of her impending graduation of high school, once or twice becoming perhaps a little overbearing with her interest into Casey's grades and academic progress. While Casey had been honest when she said she wanted to graduate, she had never meant to give the impression that it would be with honors. All her teachers seemed to handle her with extra care these days so she doubted it would even have been possible to fail this semester, even if she'd tried. But sympathy for the disaster that was her life didn't automatically mean they'd give her high marks. 

 

No longer trying to avoid her uncle and what had passed for a 'home' provided her with much more free time, which she immediately put to good use. Though Victoria didn't really understand it, she was also supportive of Casey's interest in routinely going to the gun range and provided her a small budget for ammunition and the such. When the owners of the range realized who Case was they immediately refused any payments and admitted her into any class that she fancied to take. Which turned out to be all of them. They found her interest in embracing her second amendment right after all she'd been through quite inspirational and, despite Casey's efforts, she was made a sort of unofficial mascot of the range.

 

The evenings were also pleasant, Victoria often cooking for the two of them. Casey had long since learned to fend for herself in the kitchen but after watching, and tasting, the woman's creations she realized there was still quite a lot to learn. Joseph Dunn joined them on occasion, the three of them having pleasant though perhaps atypical conversations around the table.

 

Victoria continued to visit Joseph's father and someone they referred to as Mr. Glass and this consumed most of what the two adults spoke about after dinner had finished. The two would talk late into the night, often over a bottle of wine or several beers, and review whatever crack pot papers and theories Victoria had assembled that week. Casey would quietly sit with them mostly because Victoria allowed her to drink when they did.

 

The notion of boundaries and rules was an awkward subject between them. Casey was so close to the cusp of adulthood- turning 18 only a week before graduation- that the exercise in listing such things seemed ridiculous but Victoria hadn't let that stop her. After her first week, Casey had been sat down and provided a written document outlining expectations. Some of them were reasonable- a selection of chores about the house that she could choose from, a list of substances that would absolutely not be tolerated. Some of them were unnecessary- no ditching school, no unprotected sex. And some were surprising for one reason or another- she was welcome to drink in moderation, as long as she did so in the apartment and with company. In response to Casey's interest in the range she was informed that guns would be allowed in the house only if they were appropriately locked. Sexual partners were fine, but Victoria stressed the importance of safe sex and when she eventually found out that Casey had never been on any form of birth control immediately offered to help her if she was interested. That particular part of the conversation had left Casey feeling extremely awkward and emotionally drained.

 

In the end the conversation had lasted about two hours and had left Casey reeling. For the first time she'd wondered if this was what having a mother would have been like.

 

It wasn't all sunshine and happiness obviously. There was the occasional hurt feelings and argument, though unlike with her uncle voices were never raised and hands stayed well away from the other person. She found Victoria able to sulk most impressively and often quick to blow things way out of proportion. For her part Casey found it difficult to voice everything she was feeling, which often left them at uncomfortable impasses. After a month and a half she decided that the woman felt more like a crazy aunt than anything else. And that was just fine.

 

* * *

 

"I- I thought it might appeal to you," Victoria explained nervously, hands clasped in her lap as she watched Casey. "It mean, it's like a gun range, right? Targets and projectiles and all, yes?" She laughed, also a nervous sound, and then clamped her mouth shut, presumably waiting for Casey's response.

 

Casey held the large box at arms length, examining it. 'Tournament Bristle Dartboard' was printed on it in an ugly white and red font. The smaller text indicated it came with six darts. "It's..." Casey said, struggling for an appropriate adjective. "...neat. I've never played before," she hastened to add, not wanting to hurt the woman's feelings with her lack of enthusiasm.

 

It wasn't as if Casey had never received a gift before, but it'd been quite a few years. Many, in fact. The act of pulling the paper off birthday present had felt strange and she didn't know what to do now she held the item. She'd long ago stopped enjoying surprises.

 

"There's actually a lot of skill to it," Victoria said, twisting her fingers this way and that. "My father used to keep one in his study. Said it helped him think... Like you said going to the range does for you." She glanced from the box to Casey and seemed to wince a bit. "If you don't like it I can-" 

 

"No, it's great, I love it," Casey said, smiling at the woman. She did appreciate the thought. The birthday celebration over all had been very kind of Victoria. When she realized Casey didn't have any friends she'd want to be with, she'd made a day of it. A pleasant lunch at a low key cafe followed by a trip to the range was just the right amount of effort to be thoughtful without being excessive. It was Victoria's first time there and Casey had enjoyed explaining everything to the woman. While she may have jumped at every shot and handled the Beretta they rented with excessive caution, there was no denying she was an extremely attentive student.

 

Wanting to assure the woman she appreciated it, she suggested they hang it immediately in her room. Of course Victoria was terrible at it when they played a round, wincing when she put three darts directly into the apartment wall. Casey on the other hand swallowed thickly when all of hers hit dangerously close to the center. "See, exactly like the range!" Victoria crowed, seeming to take Casey's success as proof she'd enjoy it.

 

* * *

 

There was a knock at the door and Victoria sighed. She looked at the excess glue on her fingers and called over her shoulder, "One second!"

 

"Do you want me to...?" she could hear Casey ask from within the kitchen. 

 

"No no, I've got it." Rubbing the sticky residue on the back of her hand, her thoughts were primarily on her book as she approached the door. This was hardly the first time one of her neighbors had popped by unannounced, especially since Casey had moved in. She allowed herself the faintest hope that Mrs. Henderson was dropping off some surplus baked goods rather than someone coming by with a complaint or request or to nose about for gossip. The news cycle had mostly moved on from the Beast but Victoria was continuously sensitive about her and Casey's privacy. Perhaps Jonah had finally remembered to wish Casey a belated congratulations on her graduation. 

 

Trying not to get any glue or ink on the doorknob, she fumbled it open and then looked up. There stood Orwell. He smiled every so faintly, hands clasped before him. No, there stood Patricia.

 

Fear flooded her system and she instinctively tried to slam the door shut. A strong hand darted out and easily held it open long enough for Patricia to slide in. She smoothly closed it behind herself. Eyes darting about, Victoria drew a deep breath but a hand was clamped over her mouth as she tried to scream. The sound was muffled and she was vaguely aware that Patricia was saying something. 

 

The hand on her mouth forced her back several steps and it shifted, forcing her jaw closed, before she could think to bite it. In every violent or unexpected encounter so far, Victoria knew she'd been compliant. Always it had been better to yield to Patricia or Dennis's bizarre demands than to struggle and escalate the situation. Even when the Beast had held her up against the wall there had really been no point in fighting him, the inevitability of it all making any efforts pointless.

 

This time, however, it was different. Casey was just a room away and she couldn't let the girl get hurt again. She was her ward and Victoria felt a surge of adrenalin to protect her. Patricia looked almost shocked when Victoria lashed out with a fist, catching her on the jaw. The grip loosened just enough and she lunged for her workbench. Snatching up the sharpest blade she kept for working leather, Victoria turned and held it before her. Patricia paused, eyes widening at the sight of the knife.

 

Her heart thundered in her chest as Victoria struggled not to contemplate how much larger her attacker was. Logic had no place in this moment, she knew she was just trying to buy Casey time. Gathering her courage she shouted "Get out!" and lunged forward.

 

Her hesitation had only been a moment, but it apparently had been long enough. By the time her thrust went wide, it was Dennis's, not Patricia's, hands that gripped and twisted her wrist. She cried out but continued to thrash after the knife fell from numb fingers. She felt Dennis's other arm wrap around her and begin to pin her. 

 

"Stop it!" he growled in her ear. She tried to throw her head back, wildly hoping to perhaps break his nose. He easily maneuvered her to prevent this and she felt a hand clamp down on her throat. Sensing the end was near, she intensified her struggles but to no avail. Spots were dancing in her vision when she felt him suddenly stop moving. After a moment the pressure let up and she gasped for breath like a woman nearly drowned. 

 

"Let her go," she heard Casey say from the direction of the kitchen. It sounded like perhaps she was repeating herself. The vice like hold cross her chest slackened and she stumbled forward. She only managed a step and would have fallen if not for the large hand still clamped around her wrists. Still desperately trying to suck in oxygen, she hung limply in his grasp.

 

"Casey..." Dennis breathed her name softly, almost like a prayer. He took a step towards her, bumping into Victoria who now did crumple to the floor, coughing. "What are you doing here?" he stared at her in wondering disbelief as she moved forward and crouched down next to Victoria.

 

The girl just glared up at him, reaching up to boldly pry his fingers off Victoria's wrists and drawing the dazed woman into her lap. Victoria struggled slightly, a hand pressing against Casey's chest as she croaked, "Run."

 

Breathing raggedly Dennis stood there, looking at the two women. Bending down he snatched up the knife and took several steps away from them. Facing the bookshelf he struggled for a moment and then his breathing calmed. With back straight, it was clearly Patricia who turned back to them. They could hear her softly thanking Dennis under her breath. There was a slight frown on her lips but she smiled when they both eventually looked up at her.

 

"My dear Victoria," Patricia sighed. "For a moment there you quite hurt my feelings, lashing out like that. How unlike you. But I see now you were just a lioness protecting her cub. Such a strong maternal instinct, quite admirable actually." She looked at the knife in her hands, turning it over and testing the edge. "And what claws you have." Carefully it was placed back on the desk amongst the other tools and leather scraps. "Who knew bookbinders could have such a threatening side to them?" With a chuckle she stepped forward and held out her hand. "Come come, join me on the couch." 

 

Squeezing her eyes shut, Victoria could only turn and bury her face in Casey's shirt. A silent sob shook her and she she was overcome with despair. The younger girl continued to glare at Patricia however and ignored the offered hand. 

 

"What are you doing here? Why would you attack Victoria?"

 

"Why I didn't attack her at all. She lashed out, most uncharacteristically I would add. Caught me quite by surprise. Dennis was simply trying to calm her down. We're just here to talk. To ask a favor or two." The frightened woman continued to shake and tremble in Casey's lap, neither of them rising from the floor. "I must say, none of us expected to find you here, Casey. What a... surprise."

 

Casey stroked her friend's hair and tried to calm her. "It's all right, Victoria. Everything is going to be alright. You need to stop crying. Come on, let's... up you go. Let's sit over here for a moment." With shuffling steps and a couple tearful hiccups, Casey managed to maneuver the woman to the far side of the couch before sitting next to her. 

 

Patricia watched with pursed lips. Once they were settled she moved to the chair opposite. Crossing her ankles neatly, she rested folded hands atop her knee. Victoria wouldn't meet her gaze where as Casey glared unblinkingly at her. An awkward moment stretched out. 

 

Clearing her throat, Patricia carefully asked, "So.... how have you been?"

 

Victoria appeared to be rendered mute and she started over at Casey with damp and confused eyed. "We've been well," the younger woman answered, equally carefully. "Victoria was kind enough to take me in after... the fire. We met up again at the police station that day." There was another pointed glare. 

 

"The police station? Oh I hope they didn't bother you too much, Victoria, dear. I didn't mean to cause a commotion." She brushed some unseen dust off the her pants leg. Unlike all other times Victoria had seen her, she was dressed in crips black trousers and a dark button up.  "It's so... heartwarming to see you two together. It's no surprise, now that I think about it. Ms. Varati is such a generous soul, always helping those in need. Of course she'd be sympathetic to your circumstances."

 

"...need to leave..." Victoria seemed to struggle to speak. She turned her head and stared forcefully at their intruder. "You need to leave," she repeated.

 

"Hmmm... don't worry, my dear, I don't plan on staying long. But I do have a favor to ask of you. Just a couple favors and then...." Patricia's eyes fluttered as her voice trailed off. Both women watched in silence as she seemed to struggle for a moment. "... we'll leave..." she tried to continue before succumbing to some inner battle. When her focus cleared and her shoulders squared they were again dealing with Dennis. 

 

Carefully he reached into his pants pocket and drew out a glasses case. He settled the familiar frames on his nose before snapping the case closed and tucking it away. His legs uncrossed and he leaned back in the chair, folding his arms. Victoria's hand curled into a fist, gripping a portion of Casey's shirt. 

 

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Victoria. I apologize," Dennis spoke in his usual dry, rolling accent. There wasn't a hint of contrition in there. "You can't let anyone know we're here though. If the police come, well..." he rolled his shoulders in a casual shrug. "That wouldn't be good. Ok? Do you understand?"

 

With jerky movements, Victoria nodded. She understood the threat perfectly. If they didn't cooperate it would be more than just the two of them hurt. There was no way she could in good conscience involve more innocent people in their deadly farce.

 

"Good. Good," Dennis rolled his lower lip under his teeth and looked to Casey. "I'm... sorry." Now there was the note of contrition. "How have you been? You doing ok? Since..." Victoria felt the girl tense. "We've thought about you so much since then. Not just me. Hedwig, he was worried about how you've been. And Barry too. Even Orwell thought we should check in on you but..." He ran a hand over his smoothly shaved scalp. "We didn't know where you went. Patricia wouldn't let us go to any of the funerals and there was no word about how you were or were you went after the fire."

 

"I've been ok," she spoke softly. Her tone was different than when talking to Patricia though it remained quite guarded. "Victoria has been really helpful. Things have been getting better." She stroked the older woman's arm as she spoke. The gesture seemed to be meant as soothing but Victoria found herself shifting from fear to fearful confusion. 

 

"Wh- what?" she interjected. "Why are you here?" She decided focusing on the known issue at hand was better than probing into whatever mystery the two of them seemed to be talking around. The idea that Orwell wanted them to check on Casey stirred a deep worry in her. 

 

A scowl flashed briefly across Dennis's face. He clearly didn't appreciate his conversation with Casey being interrupted. "We need you to get a message to Mr. Glass." 

 

"I don't think he wants to hear from you, Dennis," she interjected quickly. While Elijah appeared to still appreciate her visits, the man had seemed to slowly fade in the months the escape. They didn't speak of the Beast directly but she knew there was something there that upset him. His mother had also seem to become more withdrawn as time passed. Though she had joined them for dinner once, she held herself apart and hadn't become the friend that Joseph now was.

 

"And then we need to break him out of there," Dennis continued. "The Beast revealed to us- finally- the conversation he had with Mr. Glass. They'd reached an agreement. That's why his mother-" Dennis caught himself, apparently unwilling to share all the details. "He helped us and now we need to help him."

 

Victoria blinked a couple times as a scowl slowly overtook her. "You're going to help him now? Why now? It's been months since you escaped! Months! I don't know if you remember, but that is not a very nice hospital that you abandoned him in! It seems absolutely ridiculous that you'd come around here now acting concerned for his well being. You're lying."

 

Both Casey and Dennis turned to stare at her, Dennis wrinkling his nose at her. "Are you yelling at me for not breaking out Elijah sooner?" There was a pause as she considered the question and then she nodded sharply. He actually laughed at this though it was a bitter sound. "I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but our friend Mr. Glass is very fragile. Getting him out of there is not going to be an easy thing."

 

Feeling flustered, Victoria huffed. "Well you wouldn't be doing it by yourself I'd imagine. I mean, you can't leave David in there if you're going to break out Elijah as well." She paused and reflected on what she said. Backtracking, she added "But really, Dennis, you should turn yourself in. You're-"

 

"We need your help to get Eljiah Price out of there," Dennis repeated firmly, talking over her attempts to highlight the legal state he currently existed in. "He's one of-" the man cut himself short, eyes darting to Casey. "He's like us, we have to go back for him."

 

"I can't do this," Victoria replied. "This is insane. Dennis, you killed and ate three more kids since your escape." She looked to Casey with wild eyes. They'd pointedly not spoken of it when it had cycled through the news but it had been impossible to miss and Victoria knew Casey had attended the funerals. "I can't be a part of this, I can't help you. You need help... and no, I'm not suggesting you go back to Dr. Staple. But real help. You need someone who can really help you. And you need to stop killing people." Glancing back and forth between the two, she wrung her hands. "Regardless of whether you eat them or not."

 

Casey's eyes shone with unshed tears. She turned her head and blinked rapidly. Without speaking, she stood and moved into the kitchen. Victoria could barely believe what was happening. Twisting, she stared back at Dennis who seemed unshaken by her refusal. 

 

"You don't understand," his voice was disturbingly calm. "Those deaths were necessary. To feed the Beast. But this is so much bigger than that. But now we need to-"

 

"No! There's no... There's nothing than trumps the death of innocent people and there's no 'we' here. There may be a 'we' there," she gestured towards his head. "But that's not what's happening here. This is insane. I'm sorry, Dennis, you're insane. And no- I don't mean because of... because of everyone. Patricia and Hedwig and Orwell and the others." There was a frown but Victoria was far beyond worrying about such feelings at the moment. "You're insane to think that I- that we- could possibly help you. To aid you on your... your quest or mission whatever it is. Not with your ongoing cannibalistic murder spree. Listen to me, I can't even believe I'm saying this. I don't know what kind of person you think I am, but there is no way-"

 

"I'll help," Casey spoke in only a whisper but it cut Victoria short. The girl stood in the entryway to the kitchen, holding a steaming cup of tea with both hands. She looked exhausted but not terrified.  "I agree with Victoria though. We can't help you if the Beast is still hunting the Impure."

 

The older woman sputtered a bit at that but Dennis turned and looked up with an earnest, pleading expression. "He shouldn't need to now. It was just to build his strength. He's strong now. We're strong now. He'll come now when we call for him and we can better curb his... needs. We're ready. There shouldn't be any more killing. He wasn't ready before but now... now he is. We're stronger now."

 

Victoria lowered her head to her hands while Casey moved to sit on the couch across from him. They gazed wordlessly into each other's eyes. After an excruciating period of silence Victoria eventually said, "I... I can go. I'll just let you two-" She halted her retreat as Casey reached out and placed a hand on her arm.

 

"You're the only way we can get in. You're the most familiar with the building and procedures. They know you..." 

 

Shaking her head, she tried to pull away. "I'm the most familiar? No, no, no. Remember, he already escaped once. Almost twice! And an escape is just like a break in, but in reverse, right?" She was on her feet by now, inching towards the door. There had been no particular plan in her head but she still lunged for the exit when Dennis stood. He got there before she did and pointedly locked it. With a firm grip on her elbow, he steered her back towards the couch.

 

"I had help getting out," he said through gritted teeth. "And I'll likely need help getting in. What I don't need is for Elijah to cause problems or be unprepared. That's one of the reasons we need you. It would be reasonable for him to think we've forgotten our part of the bargen," here Victoria snorted and rolled her eyes. On one hand she couldn't believe that they'd froliced about on their second murder spree without thought of their friend Mr. Glass but on the other she was surprised that they would care enough about the man to put themselves in such danger. She felt like there was a flaw in her logic here somewhere, she could be surprised by them caring too little or too much, but not both. "We need you to let him know that the time has come and we will return for him soon. He needs to be ready. We also need you to-"

 

"And David," Victoria interjected.

 

Dennis blinked and shook his head. "What? No. That man-"

 

"-is just like you," Casey said, giving Dennis a hard stare. "I agree with Victoria, we're not helping unless you agree to get both out of there."

 

"I haven't exactly-" Victoria started to say but Dennis interrupted her.

 

"Twice he has fought the Beast and bested him!" He flushed at this and Victoria couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or rage. "There's no plan in which he doesn't ruin everything."

 

"Actually, I bet I could-" Victoria began to muse but Casey made her own suggestion.

 

"Joseph could help us to keep his father calm," Now Victoria and Dennis turned to stare at Casey in surprise. "He's actually a pretty reasonable guy," she said with a shrug. "Victoria has him over for dinner occasionally." Unable to help herself, Victoria blushed and ducked her head. She avoided looking at Dennis and wished Casey hadn't brought the man up.

 

"You can't seriously suggest involving Joseph in this?" Victoria hissed, horrified that the mess they were in would spread to more people. "And I don't think-"

 

"You've been seeing Joseph Dunn? You'd trust him enough to involve him in this?" Patricia asked in a lofty voice and both Casey and Victoria froze. Victoria felt herself blush though she refused to dwell on why, keeping her gaze lowered.

 

"It's- It's- It's not like that," Victoria stammered twisting her fingers together. "Joseph is just a friend-"

 

"He's gay," Casey snapped and Victoria felt herself flush completely. "It's none of your business, Patricia, but I know what you're thinking. Don’t look at me like that. I don't want him getting hurt over some confusion about what's going on here." It was a surprise to Victoria when she looked over quickly to find Patricia also blushing faintly.

 

"What I meant-" Patricia enunciated carefully. "Was to ask why he wouldn't just turn us over to the authorities, just like his father has done to us. Twice." She removed the glasses again, tucking them into the case which she returned to its pocket. "Honestly, I'm rather offended at your... insinuation."

 

Casey just folded her arms and glared. "Do you even have a plan for him to be let in on?" Patricia lifted her chin. The fact that silence immediately followed seemed to surprise more than just one of them. "You don't have a plan, do you?"

 

"I'd been hoping to work with Victoria on that," she said carefully, smoothing the buttoned up shirt over her stomach with a light touch. "Just one of the many requests that brought us here. We'd only just found out recently, to be honest. It seems the Beast had been remiss for some time in conveying this information and... once we realized, decided to act immediately. And thought Victoria might be able to assist since she is quite clever and, as you said, familiar with the facility and presumably quite sympathetic to Mr. Glass's situation. You are, aren't you my dear?"

 

That Patricia seemed so earnest sort of took Victoria's breath away. She seemed so absolutely confident that Victoria would have just thrown caution and legality to the wind and helped her. It made her rather uncomfortable to contemplate how she'd come to that conclusion, because it most assuredly was wrong. The notion that she'd held Victoria's strategizing in such esteem though was quite flattering. Dennis and Casey hadn't even given her a moment to voice her hypothetical plan. 

 

"... I..." she said, caught by those earnest blue eyes. "I am, yes. I am."

 

"But there are conditions," Casey interjected, mistaking sympathy for Mr. Glass for compliance with this madness. "We're not going to help you and let you decide how this is going to go. I don't trust you." Lifting her chin, she leaned forward. "I'm coming with you while we figure this out. I'm not letting you out of my sight, no more hunting Impure for you. And no staying here, harassing Victoria." 

 

"I haven't-" Victoria tried to interject, raising a finger. Her protest was cut off by Patricia, whose nostrils flared.

 

"Fine!" she snapped, gracefully rising to her feet. "Go, get your stuff. We're leaving now. There is much more we need to do." There was an unmistakable flush to her cheeks as she crossed her arms. Patricia and Casey exchanged glares for a moment. Though she continued to glare, it was Dennis's voice that spoke. "Casey, please." 

 

Eyes widening, she drew back a step. "Yeah, okay," she said, taking another step back. "I'll pack a bag, just one second." Both of them watched her disappear down the hall and into her room. Patricia turned back to Victoria. 

 

"I'm, sorry," she said in a stilted voice. "I didn't mean to harass you, my dear. I just... honestly believed you would able and willing to help us. I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable. Please-"

 

"Oh no!" she quickly said, holding up at hand. "Please- I- I think Casey has just been startled by your showing up. Again." She touched her lips and willed the truth to come from them. She hadn't agreed to this. Somewhere along the line they missed a step and she hadn't agreed to this plan. But they'd skipped it and jumped ahead to where Patricia now felt uncomfortable by Casey's pointed accusations which in turn made Victoria feel quite uneasy. "I'm- I'm flattered you'd think me clever enough to help you formulate such a plan," she said, which was honest enough, while still struggling to find a way out. "I just don't think I'm really the right person to help you with this." 

 

"Nonsense!" Patricia cried, waving her hand dismissively before letting it rest on Victoria's arm. "Once again, underestimating yourself!" Making her familiar tsking sound, Patricia raised her other hand to place a curled finger just below Victoria's chin. "You're quite a clever little thing and I'm certain you'll be most useful in this. Oh! Why in fact, I forgot to mention-"

 

"Patricia!" Casey shouted, and several things happened at once. Casey stormed back into the room, finger raised in a particularly threatening manner. Dennis reclaimed the Light with only a minor dramatic stumble and Victoria realized she'd been staring, lost watching Patricia's lips move as she spoke and comparing them to memories of Orwell's.

 

Dennis apologized and Casey turned to her room to finish packing. Shaking her head to clear it, Victoria tried to recall why the girl had returned to the living room in the first place if she wasn't ready to go yet. Looking over at Dennis, who in turn was pointedly not looking at her, she frowned. He continued to stand there, ignoring her, before he shuffled slightly towards her bookshelf. She huffed. Another two steps and he wasn't even trying to be subtle any more, blatantly examining her creations.

 

"I would like to finish my conversation with Patricia," she said churlishly, uncomfortable with him so close to her books.

 

He looked back over his shoulder at her. "I don't think that's such a good idea," he muttered. He turned back, squinting. "I thought coming here was a bad idea, for the record." He nodded to himself. "I don't think you have any place in this plan. This is between Elijah and us. But Patricia insisted and we just need-"

 

Victoria sniffed and interrupted him for once. "Well, clearly Patricia was right." He looked back at her, brow creased. "I mean, if she hadn't come here, you wouldn't have Casey helping you. Which is why I want to talk to Patricia. Right. Now." She'd never tried to look intimidating before and starting with Dennis was probably not a good plan. He looked more confused than cowed but when he shook his head and repositioned his limbs, Victoria knew she'd at least achieved her objective.

 

Patricia tilted her head to the side and carefully arched an eyebrow. "Yes?" she asked. When Victoria stepped near, Patricia raised both eyebrows. Her hands tentatively lifted, hovering near Victoria but she did not touch the woman.

 

"I don't trust Dennis!" Victoria whispered, voice low. "I can't stop Casey from leaving but I don't like the idea of the the two of them... traveling... planning together." Patricia's lips twitched upward. 

 

"You're worried about the two of them?" Patricia asked carefully, one hand coming up to rest her fingers lightly against her smirk, the other curling around her own waist. Victoria was frustrated she didn't seem to be giving the situation the concern it deserved.

 

"Yes!" she answered, distressed. "Casey and I never really talked about what happened... when... " she did a rolling hand gesture towards Patricia. "You know. But I'm certain Dennis is up to no good. His interest in her is extremely unhealthy for a girl her age."

 

Patricia snorted in disbelief. "I know Dennis has... earned quite the reputation," she said carefully. "But I assure you, you don't have to worry about him," Patricia looked down at her nails and continued. "Really, he's quite harmless. You know, given his tendencies I don't think he'd ever actually lay a hand on her. In fact he's never-"

 

Victoria stepped back and held up a finger. "No! Patricia, stop. I- I don't know where Dennis is right now but I am certain that he would NOT appreciate you sharing such information with me." She was blushing furiously but shook her finger scoldingly. "I don't want to know any... any of the details about your...," it was clear she couldn't bring herself to actually say it. She lowered her hand and instead smoothed out the front of her shirt, Patricia’s eyes tracking the motion. "Please, lets not embarrass anyone. Regardless of... any particular details, he should stay away from her. She's a young woman, easily confused. He needs to be the adult here."

 

Patricia had tilted her head and was tapping a finger against her chin. She wore an amused smirk and seemed to wait patiently for Victoria to finish. After it was clear she'd had her say, Patricia waved a hand dismissively. "Of course, of course. I'll talk to him about it. Now if that's all of your demands, there's one additional thing I forgot to-"

 

The force of the hug almost knocked her over. "Thank you, Victoria," Hedwig mumbled into her shoulder, having lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you for taking care of Casey and for visiting us and for helping us and for being our friend." Pulling back, he scrubbed at his eyes which were already slightly red from unshed tears. Victoria was rather shocked by how quickly he’d gotten worked up. "You're really nice, you know," Hedwig mumbled.

 

"Ah, thank you," She said carefully, again wishing Patricia was who she was talking to. "I- ah- hope you've been..." It was difficult to pick which wish to finish that sentence with. Hope he'd been well while galloping around on his second murder spree? Keeping up with his studies? Thankfully the social intuition of a child wasn't sharp enough to catch the implication in the hanging statement. 

 

"I've been ok. It's ok," he nodded to himself, again rubbing his face. "Everyone's a lot nicer now. And I'm happy Casey will help us. I think we really need the help. And your help too, that's why Ms Patricia said we should come here." He looked at her so earnestly that she wanted to take a step back. "Oh! Casey!" he cried, suddenly shifting his gaze to look over her shoulder. 

 

To her credit, the girl didn't even flinch as Hedwig threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He had the enthusiasm of a golden retriever and Victoria sighed, remembering why she'd never been a dog person. 

 

Shaking her head, she turned away from the sight of the two of them and faced her books to give them some privacy. If Casey wasn't made uncomfortable by the reunion, it wasn't Victoria's place to intrude. Hedwig was excitedly exclaiming they had so much to share with Casey and the girl seemed quite intent on hushing him.

 

Victoria was tracing a finger across some of her older volumes of poetry, already feeling saddened by the impending loss of Casey's company. Poe seemed too obvious and her fingers danced a couple volumes over, coming to rest upon Djuna Barnes. She was contemplating perhaps moving half the shelf into her room, certain the nightmares would get worse when she was again alone, when she heard a familiar, deep voice call call to her.

 

"Victoria?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's all that. Next chapter is "I. Laying Plans"
> 
> I find it interesting how different fandoms have those handful of particularly important scenes or moments that much fan fiction is hung upon. For Split it seems to me like two of the, lets say, five key beats are "resolution of Uncle John" and "Casey meeting the Beast a second time". They're fascinating for me to read because I feel like the film has left them so absolutely open and seeing an author's take on them can give you a sense of how wildly different (or similar) the author read the film compared to yourself. Because, wow, are there some very divergent takes on this movie... Wanted to give a shout out to the story [Beholding](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16436561) by INMH for having similar- though still different- thoughts as my own. 
> 
> Also wanted throw out [You Don't Know Me by Son Lux](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL35e5mwD5I) as a quasi-theme song for Casey/Dennis, at least to start with.


	9. I. Laying Plans

"And then they left," Victoria said, hands neatly clasped on the table. Every word she said had been true and therefore not a single one had trembled nervously. She did feel an urge to tap her finger on the table though. Just to make some sound. The room was just so echoingly silent once she stopped speaking, she could hear every keystroke made by one of the two men sitting across the table from her.

  
She couldn't help but flick her gaze back and forth between the front and the back of their heads, sitting in front of the one-way mirror the way they were. She tried to avoid making eye contact with her own reflection. Who knew what was on the other side of that mirror?  
  
"Did they say where they were going?" The man on the right asked, looking up from the laptop he'd been typing on as she spoke.  
  
"No, but I did overhear her mention the weather upstate this time of year when she was packing," she said and nodded to herself.  
  
"I see," The one on the left said and the two men exchanged glances.  
  
"I'll be honest, Ms. Varati," Mr. On-The-Right said. They'd never introduce themselves when they'd entered the room she'd been shuffled into. "I don't believe you're being entirely straight with us."  
  
Victoria blinked, taken aback. "Why would I lie? An escaped killer, escaped from a psychiatric hospital I might add, broke into my home and attacked me. He brainwashed my ward, well, ex-ward, and practically kidnapped her. Again. I reported it to the police as soon as I could. Why would I lie?" She repeated, honestly confused by the accusation.  
  
"Dr. Staple has provided us with your profile-"  
  
"Wait, what? I have a profile?" The confirmation of the fact that woman had been taking notes on her the whole time enraged her. She'd always suspected, but it had just felt like paranoia to actually believe. The nerve of that woman!  
  
"-and it suggests you're extremely vulnerable to manipulation by the patient. Maybe you don't even know you're being used." He continued in a calm voice, sounding almost bored.  
  
"I beg your pardon, how dare-" Her face felt like it was on fire and she was highly offended, the affront of having notes taken on her escalated by them being such blatant lies. Definitely lies that the doctor had made up.  
  
"We just need you to be completely honest with us." One of them said, but when she was staring down at her clenched fists it turned out she couldn't tell them apart.  
  
"Well does the profile say I think she's a terrible woman?" She asked, wondering if the doctor had written anything accurate.  
  
"Actually, yes it does." Victoria fumed. So perhaps the doctor had captured some valid observations to pad out all the lies she'd written about Victoria. "We'll be running this interview by her soon," there was the faintest pause and Victoria was gripped with the absolute certainty, and fear, that Dr. Staple was on the other side of that mirror. "But in the meantime I just want to go over your story one more time."  
  
Glancing down at the laptop before him, Mr Right quickly ran through the key points. "Kevin breaks in, you fight, Casey shows up, Kevin convinces her to help him in his quest to free the other patient from the hospital, you decline to help, they leave." He flicked his gaze back up to her. "Seriously? You just... waved goodbye to them and that was it?"  
  
Victoria shifted uncomfortably. "It really doesn't make much sense when you distill their names down to 'Kevin', that's not how it works."  
  
"Really?" Mr. Left asked, leaning back in his chair. "How does it work?"  
  
"I mean, surely you've spoken to Dr. Staple..." she mumbled in confusion, wondering if this was how interrogations were supposed to go. "It's always one of them at a time, but it's rarely Kevin. Honestly, I've not even met the man yet." Raising a hand, she waved it about. "But that's beside the point. Everything makes sense when you break it down to who did what. There's something between Dennis and Casey that I don't understand. I could have tried harder to stop them but I assure you arguing with Dennis is quite challenging. The man is very stubborn. And frightening."  
  
"And this 'Patricia', he's the one who visited you... last time?" Victoria felt herself blush with the innuendo laced in those last two words. These men were being quite rude and she rather regretted coming in to report the incident at all.  
  
"Yes, after breaking into my house, she braided my hair." The Mr Left looked confused, checking his notes. "He braided my hair," she amended in irritation. "But there was none of that this time."  
  
Mr Right flipped open a folder by his side. "It does mention here you seem to be often confused about the gender of the individual. It seems to reason you could also be confused about motives, intent, possibly identities?"  
  
"I'm not confused! They're different... Some of them are clearly gendered and I try to respect everyone's pronouns. Come on, it's 2019. It's not a hard concept." She ran her hands over her face, exasperated and ready to be done with this surprise interrogation. She'd thought she'd be making a simple police report when she'd come down to the station today.  
  
"You know the patient doesn't switch sexes?"  
  
Heat flooded Victoria's cheeks under her fingers. "Oh?" she replied in a light tone. "Interesting, but not relevant."  
  
"It says here you recently purchased three titles related to military field surgery and trauma response books?" Victoria nodded sharply, lowering her hands and surprised by the shift in conversation but seeing nothing strange with the purchase given what she'd gone through. "You also purchased two on firearms, an updated physical chemistry primer, something titled 'Cooking What You Kill. A Hunter's Survival Guide', a subscription to a known conspiracy theory magazine, an updated text on mental illness, and a book on leather tanning? All with the library’s budget?" The look he gave her caused her to feel uneasy. Those were reasonable books but perhaps slightly more difficult to explain, and when he listed them all out like that it did sound a bit... odd.  
  
"As a librarian I am allowed creative control over a portion of the monthly budget. There's nothing wrong with books." Unfortunately she didn't feel she could really explain several of those had been acquired with the knowledge Casey would take up hunting in the fall. Given the current situation she thought they might reflect poorly upon the girl who had taken it into her head to run off with a known murder.  
  
"Well the library has different opinions on the subject after we pointed out to them a sort of pattern."  
  
"Nonsense!" She scoffed. "Librarians would never care about such things! There's no illegal books!"  
  
"Well, to be fair, yes. They didn't care much about that." Mr. Right nodded his head. "But when it was pointed out that the funding for such things came from several donors who didn't feel as comfortable- not with the purchases- but with certain members of the staff... well. I think you might be surprised. And I think you might want to try harder to remember if there was anything useful that was said by the patient." Victoria sat back in her chair, blinking. She was stunned, absolutely stunned. Was this how a threat worked? Ms. Price had suggested once that she'd been threatened when she tried to investigate the hospital but Victoria had never believed such a thing would happen to her.  
  
"You- you can't do that. They-" The man just looked at her over his palms that he pressed together and held to his lips. "Are you threatening me?" She felt breathless. The two men exchanged looks.  
  
"Okay, Ms Varati, I can see you're not quite understanding what's going on here. Yes." He held his hand out in a sort of calming gesture, as if what he was saying wasn't absolutely insane. "We know you're withholding information about patient Crumb's visit. Frankly, I don't understand but I don't really care. Tell us what we want to know or you lose your job."  
  
"You can't-"  
  
"I think we just explained how we will." Victoria just stared at them, stunned into silence by the affront of it all. So she'd withheld one minor detail. There was no need for them to know she and Orwell had had a heart to heart where he'd explained some things to her and thanked her for her help and maybe said some other things but she'd been so distracted by the way he held her hand through it all. Maybe she wanted to keep that one detail to herself. That she now found herself facing the wrath of some truly underhanded individuals clashed quite sharply with her understanding of how things were supposed to be. She still wasn't even clear who these people were. The man sighed. "Okay, look. Clearly you need time to work through this. And if you refuse to cooperate you'll have quite a lot of it.  But sure, we'll let you go for now." He gestured to someone behind the mirror and the door unlocked shortly after. He jerked his head. "Go on, get out."  
  
Feeling like she was in a daze, Victoria got to her feet and stumbled from the room. "Absolutely ridiculous," she breathed as she was escorted to the station entrance. "The audacity of those men!"

 

* * *

 

Casey clicked her seatbelt into place and looked over to Dennis. They'd just said their final goodbyes to Victoria and walked to a car across the street that was apparently his. He sat there, unmoving, hands resting on the steering wheel for a moment. His shoulders slumped slightly before he reached up to remove his glasses. Turning, he looked over to where Casey sat.  
  
"Ugh, Dennis," he muttered under his breath with a new voice. While Casey was relieved it wasn't Patricia or, worse yet Hedwig thinking he could drive the car, she still tensed up. Leaning forward, this new person peered out the windshield and up, presumably looking at Victoria's apartment window.  
  
"Did she actually agree to help? Their fighting kept us pretty far far away from the Light." Her driver looked concerned and glanced back at her. "Oh, hey, sorry, I'm Jade. We met once before... briefly..." An awkward silence hung between them as they both presumably recalled the circumstances under which it had happened.  
  
"I said I'd help," Casey reminded her.    
  
"Yeah, but... Patricia was supposed to get her to agree to..." With a huff of breath she leaned back and started the engine. "Whatever, if you were staying with her then I'm sure it won't be a problem." Putting the car into gear they pulled out.  
  
Casey looked out the window, heart hammering. While she could scarcely believe what she'd done, she knew it was the right thing. The changes she had begun to feel over the last couple of months were undeniable. She was different in a way that frightened her and she desperately wanted to know more. She wanted to find others who were like her in the hopes they could help explain things.  
  
It was also important, she noted, that the Horde no longer had Victoria within arm's reach. Casey knew she didn't need to be afraid any more, things were different now. As long as the Beast didn't show up and grab her, she was sure she could slip away if she wanted to. But that wasn't true for Victoria and the way Patricia had continued to hover about her friend raised her hackles. She also admitted she'd leapt at the opportunity for selfish reasons as well as noble ones. She needed to get out. Far better to ditch the Horde and disappear than to let her friend down when she eventually did so. The safe and normal life Victoria lead and had tried to include Casey in wasn’t for her. It was just a matter of time till Casey knew she’d need to leave. And if things did work out then, hey, maybe she would have done a good deed for once in her life. Freeing two individuals who were in theory 'like her' from the clutches of that bitch Staple couldn't be bad.  
  
The city rolled by in silence for a while before Jade flipped on the radio. It'd been set to NPR but she quickly jabbed at the buttons till a top 40s station came on.  
  
They cruised past the city University, busy students walking around it in clusters. Casey had to look away. She and Victoria had talked twice about her enrolling in the winter there. For as kind and accommodating as her friend and guardian could be, it appeared to be the one subject she seemed to have a hard time accepting 'no' for an answer on. Again Casey relaxed a bit more. If the Horde hadn't shown up she knew the subject would have put their friendship to the test. Better to leave on a happier note. Looking back to Jade, who bobbed her head and drummed on the wheel terribly out of time to the music, she pondered the idea of 'happier'.  
  
They'd made it out of the city and two towns over before Jade asked if Casey liked Chinese food. Having no issue with it, the two pulled into a Panda Express tucked away in a food court. Jade hadn't checked her phone so Casey figured they must have been close to some known destination.  The two of them rolled into the empty restaurant and Jade pressed up against the glass. "You should order your own," she said over her shoulder, "Dennis gets way too uncomfortable with family style dining. Dinners on us," she added with a friendly smile.  
  
Casey slid her way down the counter, describing her order and then waited as Jade followed. She was surprised to see her make two seperate orders. Did the Horde require more food than a normal human? She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another and hoped that greasy Chinese food was a working substitution for human flesh. They'd ordered takeout and Jade shared the expected news that they were almost ‘there’ when she handed the bag for Casey to hold.  
  
The destination, when they reached it, had clearly been abandoned for some time. Jade winced and shrugged apologetically when she saw Casey's expression. "Sorry... Should have mentioned it. We, um, have difficulty fitting in at, ah, normal motels and stuff at the moment." She exited the vehicle and indicated Casey should join her with an encouraging nod off the head.  
  
Clutching the warm food to her chest, she carefully climbed out of the car and followed. Methodically she scanned the landscape plotting three different escape plans and two hiding spots she could use in an emergency. The door appeared unlocked and Jade left it open as she preceded her in. "Hey little buddy," she said encouraging. Casey assumed she was talking to herself but froze when she crossed the threshold.  
  
There was a child sitting on the concrete floor with a coloring book before him. He looked young, somewhere between six to nine years old, with a bowl cut and almond eyes that immediately fixed on her. She didn't know a lot of kids, but she could tell right away his unnaturally still behavior was atypical for that age. For anyone really.  
  
"This is my friend Casey," Jade said with exaggerated friendliness, gesturing back at her. "She brought us dinner! Yay!" The child appeared unmoved by the news. His left arm was bound in a plain white cast and in his other hand he gripped a marker though Casey noticed the page below him was blank.  
  
"What..." Casey started to ask, not having moved and inch.  
  
Jade hurried back to her and gently guided her forward with the lightest touch to her elbow. "Jesus Christ," she muttered under her breath. "He didn't tell you guys?!? Ugh, Dennis!"  
  
Casey was brought to stand directly before the child and the two exchanged solemn silent stares. Jade cleared her throat. "Casey, this is Jeff. Jeff, this is Casey. It's dinner time now so why don't we move to the table." A wave of the hand indicated a slumped, half broken park bench that had been dragged inside was to be their table. "Jeff," Jade continued, "Up up. Go wash your hands. You know what Mr Dennis would say." Looking down at her own she sighed heavily. "We should probably all wash them," she muttered.  
  
There was a moment of continued silence that Jade appeared happy to wait out before the child set down his marker and climbed to his feet. They all marched to an industrial sink that had a camp water station rigged up by it and cleaned up. Casey noticed almost subconsciously that Jade went out of her way not to touch the child and Casey instinctively followed suit.  
  
Finished, they marched back equally silent and settled around the table. Casey waited for Jade to take a couple bites before she asked the obvious question. "Why is there a kid here?"  
  
Jade laughed, weakly, and looked to Jeff and then back at Casey. "Funny story, um, that... why don't we talk about it after dinner, alright?"  
  
"He killed my babysitter," the child said, neatly picking up the chopsticks and scowling at the meal. Jade winced in response to Casey's shocked stare. "He rescued me from Father." With a critical eye, the childed nudged the food around, hunting for something. "I refuse to go back."  
  
"You... refuse?" Casey breathed, the death of yet another innocent only momentarily put aside, not forgotten. "Who are you?" she looked around the room. "Why aren't you all over the news as a missing child? If the Beast kidnapped a kid, everyone would be going insane."  
  
Jade removed the hand she'd been holding against her face and waved it. "I really cannot believe Dennis didn't say any of this. Did he even say why he was even there?" Casey shifted, uneasy at the suggestion of strife amongst the different personalities and at the realization she really didn’t know what she’d gotten herself into.  
  
"Patricia was there for half the time at least." Jade rolled her eyes. "And between them it was a bit... confusing. They said the Beast had revealed to you his agreement with Mr. Price."  
  
Jade scoffed and jabbed a hand towards the child. "Yeah, did they say why? He basically tripped and found another one like us." Casey looked over at the kid. He'd pushed most the food items out of the bowl and was just eating the rice. "It was only when we were discussing what we should do that the Beast bothered to mention this whole agreement with Elijah. Even Hedwig was surprised." Jade reached over with her fork and shoveled some of the food back into his bowl. "Come on, Jeff. You have to eat something real." The child gave her a withering look.  
  
"Don't mention it to You-Know-Who," Jade said, leaning over to Casey, "But I'm still seriously fucking creeped out by the Beast. But we're trying to work together now, we really think we've made some progress."  
  
"He killed the kid's babysitter?"  
  
"... yes, but it'd been weeks! At least two of them! We're all trying to... help him with that." With a heavy sigh, she shook her head. "It's hard, you know," she confided to Casey. "We understand now, well, more now and we appreciate that they did the best they could. Really, none of us believed the Beast was coming. In hindsight, yeah, we're glad they stepped up." Jade was looking down at her plate to noodles, twirling her fork in it. Casey observed Jeff giving the plastic fork a look of disgust before he caught her watching him. Unable to match his stare, she looked back to Jade.  
  
"I can't believe this. You're telling me you and everyone else, including Orwell, are now just fine with the Beast's murders?" Casey could hardly believe her eyes as Jade nodded. She'd overheard very little of what Orwell and Victoria had talked about since she'd retreated to her room to pretend and pack a bit more to give them some privacy. The idea that even Orwell was on board with all this seemed hard to believe.  
  
"The Beast was going to emerge. No matter what. If they hadn't.. hadn't.. prepared," Jade gulped, "it could have been so much worse. I mean, can you imagine? Him, just waltzing down Main Street? Or, Jesus, finding a school?" She shivered and dropped her fork, appetite lost. Casey lowered her chopsticks, feeling the same.  
  
"But still... I mean..." She looked around. "Some of us think it would have been better to involve the police sooner. Of course we tried to alert Dr Fletcher... And look how that ended. The legal system had us for a while, and that didn't work out either. We tried to lock ourselves up but that doesn't really go well..." Again she sighed. "Jeff, you want the rest of this?" The child nodded and Jade slid her chow mein over. He pointedly picked up the plastic fork and put it aside as if it were a piece of trash in his food. Unlike the dish she'd ordered for him, this at least seemed to please him.  
  
"So, yeah. Go H-" Jade immediately caught herself. "Go Them. They're working with us now to help manage the Beast better. They're way better at it than the rest of us. And now we're back on a more normal schedule. They're still bossy and weird though. And..." Here she licked her lips and leaned across the table, finally reaching the true meat of her complaint. "I think they're still kinda unstable. Ok, really unstable. It can be hard to work with crazy people sometimes, you know?"  
  
Casey stared at the older male who sat across from her, looking at her earnestly, and nodded very slowly. "Totally," she whispered.  
  
Her agreement seemed to be quite a relief and Jade leaned back on the bench, smiling widely. Reaching over, she fished out a fortune cookie but then paused. "Hey, sorry I was rude to you earlier," she apologized. "I- I didn't understand. Sometimes Dennis can get so weird about-" she caught herself and backpedaled a bit, starting over. "You seem really cool and... I think it'll really help to have you around. It's good to know there's more like us out there. Finally," she added with a raised voice, "someone normal to talk to!" She raised her hands and smiled before glancing over to Jeff. "No offense, little dude."  
  
Jade's phone beeped and she pulled it out. "Speaking of which... my time's up. Hedwig is next in the lineup." She paused, again looking uncomfortable. "If- if that's ok. I know you two have a history... Sorry, it's just that we thought Victoria would agree to take Jeff and assumed this would be the last night he and Hedwig could play together."  
  
Casey held up her hands and tried to smile. It was an effort. "No, it's ok. I... I knew what I was signing up for," she lied. "No need to break routine on my account."

 

* * *

 

Hedwig liked Jeff. The boy never made fun of him for his lisp or outfits or anything. True, he didn't actually do much in general but Hedwig didn't mind. His friend seemed to not know how to do a lot of things, like play checkers or draw, and Hedwig took pride in showing him how things worked. For once he was the the smart one.  
  
The first time he'd grabbed the boy's hand an incredible shock had run through his system and actually knocked him over. Yeah, it hurt, but it was also super cool. Not even the Beast could do that! He enthusiastically stated so and held out his hand asking him to do it again, though perhaps not as hard this time. After that, Jeff seemed to not be quite as weird around him and the others let them play together at night before Polly put him to bed. Hedwig was proud that once again, he'd been the best one at making friends.  
  
Now though, he watched Casey carefully as she sat across from Jeff. She didn't appear scared, which was good, but she was being all weird and quiet. Of course, that was sort of what Casey did half the time. With a heavy sigh, Hedwig realized it was up to him to make the most of the situation.  
  
"Jeff," he said to his friend with a heavy voice. "It's really going to happen. You're going to go stay with Ms. Victoria." He sighted again, weighted down by life. "Tonight is going to be the last time we're going to get to hang out for a while. So. I think you should pick what we do." Hedwig rolled his head to the side and squinted at Casey. "But can it involve our friend Casey? It's been a long time since we've seen her." Hedwig scrubbed at his nose and hoped Jeff could be understanding of the conundrum he was in. Should he hang out with his friend who was leaving, or his friend who had just arrived? The question nearly overwhelmed him.  
  
"No," Jeff said, wrinkling his nose. "I don't want to play with her." Hedwig gasped and looked at the young boy in horror. Now what was Hedwig supposed to do? Turning, he looked to Casey in a panic.  
  
"It's... it's all right, Hedwig. We can catch up later. Why don't you play with Jeff for now." Hedwig licked his lips and looked back to Jeff nervously.  
  
"Oh- Ok..." Nodding to himself, he drummed his hands on the table. "So what do you want to do, Jeff?" The young boy just stared at Hedwig and said nothing.  
  
"What do you guys normally do?" Casey asked, smiling at him and tilting her head to the side. He liked it when she did that. "How long have you two been hanging out?" She looked back and forth between them.  
  
"Well the Beast found him three days ago," Hedwig explained in a serious voice. "We had to drive a long ways though so, you know, I couldn't really hang out with him then. At night we play board games. Sometimes we draw. And we listen to music," he said, looking to his friend for confirmation. The child nodded. "And we talk about our powers. Well, Jeff's and the Beast's. I don't really have any," he confessed reluctantly. "I mean, I can wish myself into the Light, but hey- you're supposed to have powers now too, Casey!"  
  
Jeff turned and seemed to give Casey a critical look. Luckily she didn't get upset like Jade or Bernice did, she just stared right back at the little kid. "Well?" Jeff asked. He tried to cross his arms but the cast bumped against his chest and he just lowered his arms again.  
  
Casey looked to Hedwig and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think my powers are, Hedwig?" Immediately Hedwig blushed and ducked his head. The first thought that had popped into his head was the power of being really pretty, but he knows that's not something he's supposed to say to her.  
  
"I- I don't know," he stuttered, raising his hand to rub the back of his head. "Can you fly?" When she shook her head and said nothing, Hedwig realized he was supposed to guess again. "Can... you.... run really fast?"  
  
Casey leaned in suddenly towards him and he shouted, jerking back. Hedwig had time to see her grin and start to laugh when the sound turned into a yelp. "What the fuck?!" she shouted, jumping up from the table and stumbling away from Jeff. The child had lunged forward in response to her motion and brought his hand down upon her arm.  
  
"Jeff, no!" Hedwig said, putting his hands up and trying to make it clear Jeff should stay seated at the table with him. "She's not going to hurt us! It's ok!"  
  
Casey gripped her arm at the elbow and was breathing heavily. "What the fuck was that?" she asked again and Hedwig could sympathize with her. While Casey seemed to ignore him, at least Jeff listened. The little boy lowered his arms and then lifted his chin defiantly. He seemed almost proud when Hedwig tried to quickly explain the impressive breadth of the boy's powers. Casey was staring at Jeff with wide eyes by the time Hedwig finished.  
  
"I... see.." Casey said carefully. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare anyone." She vaguely claimed that her powers helped her see things but was quite evasive when they tried to pry more details from her about it. Frustrated, the boys eventually agreed they should play a card game. Casey opted to sit out and Hedwig turned his attention to his friend. When it grew late and time for the young boy to sleep Polly emerged.  
  
Having no connection or real interest in Casey, she went about the task at hand mostly ignoring the girl. Tucking Jeff into his sleeping bag she sat with him for a while, talking softly, till it was clear he'd nod off eventually. With a nod of her head, she invited Casey to join her on the other side of the large room.  
  
She introduced herself and gave Casey a considering look. The girl appeared to be ridiculously young, but then again she'd need to have been young and foolish to throw caution to the wind and join them. This no doubt contributed to Dennis's interest in her. During the previous nights Polly had lingered in the Light after putting the child to bed but tonight she didn't feel comfortable quite yet with this young woman.  Casey had passed through their life so quickly only a couple of the alters had ever met her. Better, she thought, to yield to someone who could handle this- or at the very least appreciate it more. She understood the alliance with the Horde was still a shaky one and that it would do well to shore up good relations.

  
With a deeply drawn breath, Dennis looked around the room rapidly. The fact that Casey was staring at him unnerved him. "I, ah, apologize for the warehouse," he said, opting to look quickly about the floor when he realized he'd been staring back at her. "We didn't- I-" he swallowed, running a hand over his head. "We didn't think it was safe to check into hotels with the kid. I'm sorry Jade forgot to stop and pick up a sleeping bag for you on the way back here. We have one you're welcome to use. I'm sorry." Slowly Casey tipped her head to the side, still staring at him. "And the mess, I'm sorry about the mess. I- there's a broom, I swept out a portion over there," he gestured back to where the child slept. "I could sweep you a space... or-"  
  
"What about you? Is it really true? You don't sleep?" Though she spoke with a firm voice, Casey seemed to wrap her arms around herself and possibly shivered. Dennis braced himself, uncomfortable to have what he considered a private detail of their lives voiced aloud.  
  
"We'll lay down at some point later. We don't need sleep exactly, no," the look of horror on her face caused him to visibly wince. "You don't have anything to be worried about," he tried to assure her but the statement seemed to upset her further.  
  
"Well... I'm not tired yet," Casey said with a shaky voice. "I'm... I'm just going to use my phone for a bit." So they'd both crept back to the cleared section and settled up silently against the warehouse wall after Dennis quickly swept the already clear floor.  The lamp he'd set up was their primary source of illumination, generously offset by large swaths of streetlight that poured through the broken windows. With the early summer warmth on the air, the warehouse held only a faint chill that seemed to bother neither of them.  
  
There was already the gentle snore of Jeff a couple feet away by the time they settled down. He tried not to stare at her as she began to tap away at her phone. A curtain of hair hung between them, hiding the profile of her face but he was still happy enough just to watch her hands, cradling the device. Dennis was fascinated by Casey's hands, how they were steady or clasped or shaking or clenched. It seemed safer to look at her hands than anywhere else. Thinking about her hands, what they could do, was still a dangerous thought but he managed it better than most the others.  
  
Dennis realized that her thumbs had stopped moving and he looked up to find her staring back at him. Quickly he flushed and turned his head to face forward, ashamed to have been caught being so rude. Normally Patricia would scold him for staring but she was thankfully asleep at this hour. After a moment the near silent tap of Casey's typing resumed.  
  
Eventually she put the phone away and leaned back against the wall, her arms draped across bent knees, fingers dangling loosely. When Dennis risked a glance at her, he realized she'd closed her eyes and he wondered if she was just going to fall asleep right there, up against the wall. Unable to stop himself, his gaze slowly traveled down the length of her arm and settled on her hands again. It was strange to think those small little hands of hers had strangled her uncle to death. True, she'd had the aid of the bandana but the strength in them had ended the man's life.  
  
"I know you're staring," she said calmly and Dennis's head whipped away, choosing now to look at a broken window on the far end of the room. He felt him face grow warm. "You know that, right?"  
  
"I'm... sorry." He managed to say, but furrowed his brow in confusion. "Am I that obvious?"  
  
Casey snorted and her lips curved ever so slightly. "Yes." Dennis looked back to her again, continuing to contemplate what she'd said. He rolled his lower lip under his teeth and stared at her face, watching her lips as they twitched at little further into a smile.  
  
"You're laughing at me," he said carefully, trying to keep the hurt from his voice. He flushed further, a different feeling this time. She was mocking him, he realized. She'd heard everything the doctor had said about him, what the news had said about him, what even Patricia had said about him. She'd heard and known he wouldn't be able to take his eyes off her and now she was making fun of him. Just like everyone else. She didn't even need to look at him to know he was being pathetic.  
  
Feeling his eyes sting, he blinked rapidly. He reached up under his glasses to quickly dash away any moisture there. Next to him Casey sighed and he flinched. He squeezed his own eyes shut, forcing himself to just accept the pain. She had every right to mock him, to hate him. If what she felt like heaping onto him was derision, he would accept that and be thankful that she was here at all to deliver it.  
  
"Dennis," Casey said with a sigh and he looked back her. She hadn't moved nor opened her eyes but now instead of a smirk she frowned. "Dennis," she repeated, "I know you're staring. Or at least, that you had been." Pained, he looked down at his feet. "And now you're not." Curious, he slowly turned back. "And now you are, again." Opening her eyes, she stared straight into his.  
  
"Is that..." he licked his lips, suddenly nervous. "Is that your power?" Casey shrugged, eyes closing again. Dennis's gaze had already started to trail down her arms again before he blushed and stared straight at her face. "How much can you see?"  
  
Now her lips twitched once more. "Enough," she said, shifting to stretch out her legs and lacing her fingers over her stomach. "I just... thought you might want to know."  
  
Slowly, Dennis brought his hands up to rub his face. He felt like he was in hell, though he appreciated her letting him know. Here he was, finally again in the company of only person in the world who understood him... and he couldn't even look at her without her knowing. Knowing and presumably being disgusted with him for it.  
  
Drawing in a deep breath, he let out an uneven exhale. This was going to be a long night.

 

* * *

 

Victoria slumped at her desk, head in hands. It felt like the world was crumbling under her feet. She'd gone back to the the station the next day and confessed to having a discussion with Orwell and they'd just stared at her. Somehow that wasn't what they were looking for. They were certain she had details, useful details, and held to their threat that she'd lose her job if she didn't provide them. No matter how she tried to protest that this was all just a misunderstanding, they seemed to refuse to believe her.  
  
When she'd eventually been let out of the interrogation room, the sight of Dr Staple wasn't at all surprising. The woman shared that she'd been brought on to consult with the investigation, given her experience with the patient. If it'd been just the two of them, Victoria would have sneered at the woman for her lies but she didn't want the officers catching her being so petty.  
  
"I don't know anything!" Victoria had hissed at her, stepping close. Dr Staple just smiled in return and Victoria's heart sank. It occurred to her then that in addition to being terrible to her patients, the doctor could hold quite a grudge.  
  
"You'll be coming by the hospital Wednesday, as usual?" the doctor had asked lightly. "Just know I'll be available to pass on anything you might have remembered by then to the authorities. And while we won't be terminating your sessions with patient Price, we will be watching them quite closely."  
  
With a defeated exhale, Victoria didn't bother to respond and just dragged herself back home. Which is how she came to be slumped at her desk when she heard a quick knock on her apartment door. There was the sound of a key in the lock and the thing swung open before Victoria could respond.  
  
Casey stood there, looking nervous, and she wasn't alone. There was no Patricia or Dennis in sight but next to her was a young child. With a gentle word, Casey ushered the kid inside and shut the door. Victoria just stared with wide eyes.  
  
"Hi, Victoria," the girl said in a careful voice. "This is Jeff. Ah..." There was a pause and Victoria just blinked at her. She looked between the child and Casey, waiting patiently for an explanation or shocked beyond speech, she wasn't quite sure which. "We were wondering if you could watch him?" Casey eventually asked, ending with a smile and hopeful tone of voice.  
  
"Excuse me?" Victoria asked, raising a finger. "Why is there a child in need of somewhere to stay?"  
  
Casey visibly winced and encouraged the boy to take a seat on the couch before she moved to Victoria's side and patted her hand while she explained everything. The woman was understandably distraught at all the reasonable places but balked at the final part. "You want me to... watch him? Casey, I don't know anything about children. Or kidnapping."  
  
"It's not kidnapping if the kid doesn't want to go back," Casey said but waved her hand quickly as Victoria tried to correct her on that point. "Ok, yes, it still is. I know that. But, Victoria, I'm not sending any kid back into an abusive household. The fact that he's different- it's even less safe. Think of what they're doing at that hospital. We just... need you to hold onto him for a bit. The Horde, well, you know, all of them- they think that Mr. Glass knows about a group who can help him. Help... them."  
  
"A group who can help?" Victoria asked, drawing back in surprise. "I haven't heard of anyone-"  
  
"Apparently the Beast was quite evasive about it or Mr Glass was, I haven't quite gotten a clear read on it yet, depends on who you ask." She shook her head, realizing what an odd statement it was. It was remarkable how quickly one could get used to dealing with the multitude of personalities packed into one person. Victoria leaned her head to side to look at the child on the couch and then turned back to Casey, her expression shifting from worried to frustrated.  
  
"So they think I'm just... going to watch their kidnapped child for them?" she huffed. She shot Casey an angry look. "You too? That, what, I'll just... babysit some kid neither of you actually know, who has been kidnapped!?"  
  
Casey blinked, looking at her rather surprised. She'd never actually heard Victoria raise her voice before. "Victoria, I don't think you need to-"  
  
"Casey, I reported the visit to the police!" The girl seemed surprised by this and Victoria rushed to speak before she could be interrupted yet again. "I never agreed to help!" she shouted, finally relieved to be able to air the fact that seemed to have been repeatedly missed. She raised her hands, overwhelmed with frustration. "Not once! Everyone just thinks I'm going to help!"  
  
"But when you spoke with Orwell..." Casey looked confused as she said this but she also looked hurt, as if a reasonable civic duty were a betrayal.  
  
"I was sympathetic, understanding, yes, but that's not the same thing as agreeing to help!" Victoria clasped her hands to her her head. Had it been a betrayal? Victoria now wondered if she had some sort of moral duty to help them, even if she'd never agreed to. As if their confidence and trust in her alone was enough to bind her to them.  
  
"But you've been helping them for so long," Casey said, as if Victoria's assistance had been assured by past behavior alone.  
  
"Visiting patients at a psychiatric hospital is NOT the same as assisting them with escaping. And while, yes, Joseph and I have been looking into what's going on there that's not the same... that's not the same as trying to break them out." Here she flushed slightly, feeling a sticky moral quandary nearby. "I mean, if one knows something bad is happening, one should do something about it..." Now that she'd been able to finally vent her frustration at not having been asked, she found herself deeply considering the issue.  "But I really don't think breaking out individuals from an institution for the criminally insane is really the best solution..."  
  
"Kind of looks like the only solution," Casey stated, arms crossed and now looking almost angry. "But I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do." She looked over to the child who had been silently watching all this. "I'm sorry, I guess we were wrong. We'll go."  
  
Victoria sighed and quickly moved between Casey and the exit, for once being the one blocking the door and not the one trying to escape through it. "No no no, don't be ridiculous. The child can stay with me for a while. I've... I've actually got quite a bit of free time now. I can look after him. For a while." She glanced uneasily at the youth. "I haven't touched your room and if you feel comfortable with him staying there..."  
  
"You just said you told the police all about the plan to break this Mr. Glass out," Casey said in frustration. "You'll no doubt just turn the kid over to them."  
  
"There was hardly a plan," Victoria muttered under her breath. "Patricia said she wanted me to help make one. It's not like there was anything to reveal."  
  
"They'll know we're coming now," Casey snapped.  
  
"I'm quite certain the idea had already occurred to them," Victoria replied, matching her tone. Realizing she was letting herself get carried away, she tried to calm herself. "I apologize for telling them you went with them though. I was just concerned for your well being, Casey. They needed to know you were there so they'd be more careful when or if they tried to... engage with Them. I would hate to think you getting caught by a stray bullet in-"  
  
"I'm the same as them. I'm different," Casey said, breathing heavily. Victoria's eyes widened. "I wouldn't just... get shot by a stray bullet, Victoria. But now that you told them, maybe I'll get hit by an intentional one." She took a step towards the woman and pointed an accusing finger at her. "And if they catch me, I'm pretty sure I'll end up in that horrible hospital, just like the rest of them. That's why Hedwig wouldn't tell me back when I visited. He didn't want the doctor to find out. If they knew I was like the Beast and David, they'd lock me up and do experiments on me too. Do you honestly believe David is there because he's guilty of anything?"  
  
Victoria was horrified by this and she covered her mouth with a shaking hand. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, realizing what a mess she'd made of the situation. Looking down at the child, she gulped, now easily extrapolating the idea as to what would happen to him. "You can trust me, I promise. I'll watch the child, make sure no one knows he's here."  
  
There was reluctance in Casey's acceptance of this, but she hadn't been lying. There clearly was nothing else to be done. They worked together to settle the child in Casey's room, ensuring he knew his way around the apartment and felt comfortable with what was going on. The little boy was painfully quiet and Victoria wondered if he actually understood what was happening. She eventually left Casey in the room with the kid and went to wait in the living room while they discussed something in hushed voices.  
  
When Casey came out alone and informed her that Jeff was taking a nap, Victoria looked up from where she sat reading and nodded. Climbing to her feet, they stood awkwardly together for a moment in silence, unsure how to exactly part once again.  
  
"I'll help," Victoria eventually said, fidgeting with the book she held, not looking at Casey. "I mean, beyond just watching the child. I'll help plan. I agree, breaking them out is the right thing to do." She was nodding her head as she spoke.  
  
"You don't have to, Victoria. We... we should be fine. We just need to you too look after Jeff."  
  
"No no, I'll help," she insisted, now absolutely convinced she needed to help them as if to make up for the fact she'd gone to the police. "Patricia said I would be useful."  
  
Casey sighed heavily, hands in resting on her hips. "But you don't want to, do you? You don't even want to, but you will because you think it's the right thing to do. Or because it'll help Orwell?" She shook her head sadly and asked one of those painfully direct questions of hers. "Can you stand any of them? The ones who aren't Orwell that is?"  
  
Nervously Victoria fidgeted at her lip with her teeth, taking a moment before answering. "Yes, I mean, sure... Hedwig can be quite annoying, Jade is horribly rude, Luke is rather dense, Dennis's obsession with you frightens me, and Patricia's interest in me frightens me. They're all all very dangerous and I worry about what will happen to me if I help them. But..."  
  
"But...?"  
  
"But individually they're not that bad. Casey, I want to help. And it looks like I'm already caught up in this. Things can hardly get worse than they are now. And Orwell... when I think about it, I know I have to help him. I know it's the right thing to do. Their fates are intertwined," she spoke with a sort of resigned shrug.  
  
Biting her lip, Casey seemed to have a brief internal struggle before saying softly, "Please don't get angry at me. But Dennis... he told me something," she quickly glanced at the other woman and then away again. "He said that Orwell... thinks of you as a friend. That," she paused and fidgeted with the cuff of her hoodie. "That he doesn't like you, like that. And that he probably never will. I'd hate for you to join us for... the wrong reasons, knowing that you don't- didn't want to."  
  
Victoria blinked in surprise at this for a moment or two, surprised Casey seemed to think she let her heart lead her head around. "Nonsense," she said in a mildly offended tone. "It's simply the only reasonable thing to do." A moment passed and she felt a slow flush creep up her cheeks. She realized they were having That conversation. "You don't think I know that?" Her feelings were almost hurt at the idea of being thought so pathetic.  "Yes, I fancy Orwell. Or did. Maybe still do. And yes, I know that he's not interested. You're not the first one to point that out. This whole time I've... I've been trying to help, it's because I think it's the right thing. I'm his friend. Can't I still be his friend? Just because he- he- he doesn't feel that way about me doesn't mean I up and abandon him." It surprised her when she felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Angrily she brushed it from her face with the back of a hand. "I'm not some terrible person who wants to help him with the expectation of eventually getting laid. Can't I just genuinely want to help someone I like?"  
  
Casey said nothing in response to that, though looked appropriately apologetic. With a quick struggle, and a brief fanning of her hand, Victoria managed to get herself back under control. It wasn't the first time someone had accused her of letting her fancy of Orwell lead her around. Samaira had been suggesting such things back before even the first hint of murder. In part to distract from her embarrassment, she asked how yesterday had gone and the conversation returned to more practical matters at hand. By the end of it, Victoria was feeling quite confident with her decision to help them and wondered how she would ever have been able to live with herself if she'd turned them away in their hour of need. The distress of having her motives questioned was quickly forgotten in the face of logistical problems.  
  
She felt especially guilty when she pointed out that Casey had best leave her phone behind to avoid any tracking. There was a momentary glare at the realization something bad could have already come of it. Attempting to continue to thinking critically, Victoria pulled out her computer made sure they'd established a way of communicating online with several new, anonymous accounts.  
  
As expected, Victoria was excessively concerned about Casey and Dennis traveling together. When she probed for more details and found out about the warehouse they'd slept in, she'd been aghast. She immediately went to some corner in her close and came back with an impressive handful of cash.  
  
"I should have given it to you when you first left. Why didn't you tell me sooner you needed help?" she said in distress, handing it over to Casey and not taking no for an answer. "It's not that much, just some emergency funds. Please, just check into a hotel or something. I cannot stand the thought of you sleeping on the street if you insist on not staying here."

 

* * *

 

"And?" Luke asked, hands drumming on the wheel as Casey slid into the car. Casey just shook her head, unwilling to share with this particular alter everything that had just transpired.  
  
"She'll watch the kid," she said, fastening her seat belt and encouraged him with a nod to head out. "She said she's willing to help but she might have accidentally tipped the cops off about our intentions. I left my phone with her."  
  
"Fucking hell," the man muttered. "'Accidentally'?" He asked with a scowl, driving them towards the next location Bernice had picked out for them that morning.  
  
"Well, you know," she said, looking out the window. "It's Victoria. What do you expect?"

 

* * *

 

"Don't you get... bored?" Casey asked from where she leaned back against the seat's headrest. She rolled her head to the side to stare at Dennis. He continued to sit there, hands lightly resting on the steering wheel, unmoving. They'd been watching the back entrance of the hospital for two hours now.  
  
"Of course I do," Dennis said, keeping his eyes on the door. "What does that have to do with anything? I already told you, you're welcome to go anywhere you want. I promise I'll pick you up after I'm done here."  
  
Casey snorted and rolled her head back to stare out the window at nothing in particular. The street they'd parked on had only intermittent traffic and they were in one of those lulls at the moment. "Not likely," she said. "I don't trust you out here. Isn't this exactly how you helped the Beast?"  
  
Dennis winced and finally looked over at her. "Casey, I promise I won't sneak away if you want to take a break," he said in a defensive tone. "I'm not going to try and leave you behind. We need to find a way in. The Beast isn't going to distract us, we're all focused on the same thing here."  
  
"I know that," she snapped and closed her eyes. The uncanny sight clearly painted a picture of Dennis's sad stare at her but it frustratingly didn't extend as far as the door they watched. Casey considered how it'd feel to be able to see everything between here and there... Given how overwhelming the several foot radius she could normally reach was, the idea gave her a shiver. "But this is, isn't it?" She asked again to distract herself from the more disturbing thought and to pass the time.  
  
"Yes," Dennis muttered, turning back to watch the door. "It is very similar."  
  
"What exactly do you think you'll find?" Casey asked, lacing her fingers over her stomach and trying to get comfortable. She knew Dennis shrugged and she was amused that for once he didn't keep looking at her. Even knowing that she could tell he was doing it wasn't enough to stop him from starting at her every chance he got. He clearly knew it was rude, the man would end up blushing not long after and turn away only to start up again not long after. If she had to spend the entire day with him it would have been maddening, but they cycled about so frequently she only saw him occasionally. These steak outs seemed to be the only times he was able to focus on something other than her for an extended period of time, which naturally made her curious.  
  
"I don't know," Dennis said, "that's the point." Lifting a hand from the wheel, he gestured to the door with an open hand. "I'm looking for surprises, for things that I don't know yet or confirmation of things I expect."  
  
"But... doesn't it get to be too much? The boredom doesn't it, you know, drive you a little crazy?" Now Dennis did look at her again and she stared boldly at him, knowing her question bordered on rude. "Do you ever get bored and, you know, talk to the others?"  
  
"Not really, no." Turning back, he flexed his hands on the steering wheel. "The others get bored and leave me alone. I like the piece and quite. I like being in the Light, even if I'm just sitting and watching a closed door..." There was a long stretch of silence but Casey felt no need to hurry him. "I was good at it before the hospital," Dennis eventually added, "They didn't normally let me into the Light if they didn't need me to do something like this. But I got a lot of practice in there. Now this seems not so bad. There's lots of things to look at here, even if no one is doing anything."  
  
Casey didn't like when he mentioned the hospital, it reminded her of why he'd been put there. Not the being different reason, the killing reason, and she preferred not to dwell on such facts. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the man. The way he described his life, their lives... it was rare to meet someone who sounded like they had it worse than she did.  
  
"I used to sit for a long time with my dad," she said softly. "When we went hunting together. You had to be quite though, the deer would hear you, even if you whispered. I remember thinking all the leaves were so beautiful and the sounds of the wind in them and the birds and the bugs... I thought it was so loud and noisy, there was no need to talk, there was so much to listen to." Again she opened her eyes and rolled her head to look at Dennis. "But we're in a car now and the silence is killing me. You ever play 'I spy'?"  
  
Dennis's lip twitched. "No, though Hedwig enjoys it and has tried to get me to play with him. It... doesn't work as well as he thinks it will, between us. I may not be able to read his thoughts, but I can tell what he's looking at..." When he smiled she realized she'd never really seen him do so like that before.  
  
"I spy, with my little eye..." Casey started, closing her eyes. "...something yellow."  
  
"That flower right there!" Hedwig excitedly exclaimed, pointing out the window before Dennis jerked his hand back. Casey smirked as Dennis scolded the child, knowing by his tone he wasn't actually angry.  
  
"No hands," he muttered. "And we have to keep watching the door." He appeared to have no issue with the child speaking though and within a couple minutes Hedwig had narrowed it down to the soda can in the gutter. Her prompt was "something red" and the time passed much more smoothly after that.

 

* * *

 

"It just seems rather... arbitrary," Victoria said, fidgeting with a strand of her hair as she spoke into the phone. "I mean, I think if we sat down and talked it through we could easily-"  
  
"-no, Victoria, please." Casey interrupted her. It sounded like she was in a large room and Victoria briefly worried they were spending another night in a warehouse. "I don't want to pull you more into this. Just, could you just do this one thing for us, please?" There was a pause during which Victoria pursed her lips in mild irritation. "Ok, this second thing. Help us with this second thing. See, you're being really useful right now as it is. How is Jeff?" In the background she could hear what sounded like Hedwig echoing the question.  
  
Slowly she turned to look at the child who sat at the table. Of course he was staring straight back at her. It was rare that she'd turn to the child and not find him already looking at her. She couldn't call it a glare, that would be a paranoid thought. Well perhaps she could call them glares but at the very least she shouldn't. If she let herself acknowledge the strange little boy spent so much time glaring hatefully at her for no discernable reason she didn't know if she'd be able to keep her promise to Casey. "Jeff's fine," she managed in a strained voice. "Would you like to talk to him?"  
  
"Um, no, it's fine I-" there was the sound of a scuffle and she could faintly hear Casey scolding Hedwig  when he spoke far too loudly into her ear.  
  
"I want to talk to Jeff!" Victoria was happy enough to hand over the phone, though she passed the device quite gingerly and quickly pulled her hand back. Giving her yet another angry glare, the boy lifted the phone and spoke for a while with Hedwig. His responses were short, mostly a string of 'yes's or 'no's and after a while he handed the device back to her.  
  
Thanking him, she moved a couple steps away and finished her conversation with Casey. She promised she'd convey to Mr. Glass the expected date of escape. Again she raised the issue of picking a date before a plan but Casey said she and the others had agreed this was a better idea. Something about motivation and a 'forcing function' and having waited too long were the various rational she offered to prop up this terrible idea. Victoria refrained from questioning exactly who 'the others' consisted of, highly doubting Patricia would agree to such a ridiculous order of actions. The question of Joseph's involvement was on the tip of her tongue when she heard another voice in the background, this time deeper. Casey immediately said they had to go and thanked Victoria once again before hanging up.  
  
With a heavy sigh, she lowered the phone and looked back towards the child. Jeff still sat at the table, the selection of books she's offered him untouched, and just glared at her. With a nervous swallow, Victoria suddenly wondered if having a deadline wasn't the worst of ideas. She didn't know how much more of this 'babysitting' she could take.

 

* * *

 

They'd been walking back from dinner when they were attacked.  
  
It happened so suddenly, Casey didn't realize what was going on until she'd been pressed up against the wall for several seconds, gun pointed in her face. The girl on the other side of the weapon glared at her while the man that had grabbed Barry waved his own, larger gun in the man's face.  
  
"If you let the Beast person take over," he growled in a thick Russian accent, "I'm shooting you through the fucking eye. I hear he has tough skin but I'd like to see anyone survive a point blank shot through the eye socket." The barrel of the gun came to rest on Barry's left cheek and the poor man stared at it, wide eyed and fearful.  
  
"I- I- I don't know if-" Barry began to stammer, twitching in fear and perhaps for other reasons, while Casey struggled with her own confusion.  She'd gotten used to the tingling sense at the back of her head warning her about things but this had happened so fast she didn't register it was there till it was already too late.  
  
The girl in front of her didn't look away, or move her gun, but clearly she was speaking to Barry, "You better try real hard to keep a handle on the situation, Mister, because you're not the only one who'll get shot, ok?" Barry gulped and likely would have nodded but the gun tapped his cheek twice lightly and he remained awkwardly imobile. "If any sort of switching goes on, we might get jumpy. Get spooked," she said, smiling at Casey as she spoke. "I know there's a couple of you in that head of yours but why don't you be the one to talk to us, ok?"  
  
"Where's the kid?" the large man asked, leaning forward to put his face right next to Barry's. The girl in front of Casey raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, making it clear the question applied to her as well.  
  
"Wh- Wh- What kid?" It wasn't a good lie and Casey didn't even know why Barry had tried. There was an angry growl and the gun seemed to dig into his cheek even more. Casey was thankful that the girl covering her did not feel the need to prod her with the weapon, although a tingling sensation went through her arms at the thought of it. Another stray thought wondered what would happen if Casey tried to take it from her, she was standing so close. The hand on her shoulder, gripping her shirt and holding her back, was firm but it didn't seem inhumanly strong.  
  
Casey wanted to raise her hands and make a placating gesture, it would have put the gun even closer to her grasp, but the shove to her shoulder when she started to move make it clear that wasn't allowed. "He's not with us any more," Casey said in a calm voice.  
  
"Jesus Christ," the girl covering her said while the man hissed between his teeth.  
  
"What, you fucking kill him too? Eat him too?" he snarled, digging the gun further into Barry's face. The fist holding Barry by the shirt collar twisted and clearly started to choke him. A flash of fear went through Casey at the thought of what might soon happen. Barry was good at controlling the Light but she doubted he'd be able to maintain order if things got any more physical.  
  
"No! Stop," she said in a hurry. "Let him go or we'll all be in trouble. We didn't hurt the kid, he's safe." While the idea of handing Jeff over to these two was not one she'd entertain, she had to focus on the problem at hand. The Beast had yet to emerge since she'd started traveling with them and she wasn't certain what would happen when he did eventually show up. She didn't imagine it would go well, regardless the circumstances.  
  
The girl tipped her head to the side and relaxed her grip on Casey's shoulder a fraction. "Blue, don't fuck this up," she said, without turning. Barry's choking seemed to stop though he was not given any further space.  
  
"Who are you?" Casey asked while Barry struggled to calm himself down. She realized that in a situation like this she'd much rather have Dennis's company. Someone with a cool head and a or at least a bit more muscle would be much more helpful right now. In his absence she realized she might have to handle... whatever this was.  
  
"None of your fucking business," the girl snapped. Thick brown bangs hung down and almost obscured her eyes which made it hard for Casey to read her expression. The steady gun that refused to move further away from her however conveyed enough information on the state of things. "Where's the kid?"  
  
"Somewhere safe," Casey replied in an equally biting voice. "And no, we're not telling you where he is. I don't care if you shoot us both, we're not monsters. We're not just handing him over to you." While she questioned the likelihood of the Horde agreeing with her on this, she knew it was true enough for herself. The girl wrinkled her nose at her and continued to hold her against the wall for a moment longer before she suddenly let go and stepped back.  
  
"Okay, that's not a shitty answer. Good for you." Turning she went over to her companion and patted his arm. The man, larger than Barry, didn't budge. "Hey, come on," the girl said with another pat. "I think it'll be ok." Barry continued to stay pressed against the wall, frozen, as the man slowly relaxed his grip and stepped back only a fraction. The gun did not lower though the girl had tucked hers away.  
  
Turning back to Casey, the girl ran a hand through her hair, briefly revealing her face. Behind thick framed glasses, Casey realized she was probably a couple years older, just as the man appeared to be a couple years older than Kevin. She felt like she was meeting some weird alternate universe version of themselves and it made her skin crawl.  
  
"So, I'm sure this is surprising and I'm just going to keep it simple. We want to help the kid. Jeffery Young is... special. And unlike you two, we're able to actually help him," the girl said, tucking her hands in coat pockets.  
  
The other man, sneered at Barry. "None of us have a history with eating kids so he'd be safer with us than with you." Understandably Barry looked quite shaken by this comment and didn't try to defend himself. His companion nodded as if the big man had made a good point.  
  
"You clearly understand that he needs help, seeing as you've not handed him over to authorities. We appreciate that. And the fact that he's not dead. I'm trusting you on that," she gave Casey a pointed look. "It's good you want to help him, but you've gotta' see that you're out of your league here."  
  
Casey let out a breath. "And what? Just hand him over to two strangers who just jumped us?" Their attackers exchanged looks with each other before the girl turned back and just nodded. Casey looked over to Barry, again wishing Dennis was here to help.  
  
"I mean, you guys are in some serious shit right now," the girl said. She turned and pointed to Barry, "You especially. Did you have some sort of plan for what to do with him?" Now it was Casey and Barry's turn to exchange looks before Casey looked back and shook her head. With an eye roll, the girl continued. "Awesome. Well it's good we showed up then, isn't it?"  
  
"We can't just-" Casey started to protest but stopped when the girl fixed her with a disapproving stare.  
  
"Where is he now? Approximately, if you don't feel like telling us exactly yet."  
  
"With a friend," Barry replied, defensively. It'd been several days since they'd left Jeff with Victoria and the emails she'd been exchange with the woman had been worrisome. Apparently Victoria was discovering that several theories about pyrokinesis weren't as unbelievable as she'd originally believed them to be.  
  
"Great. A friend. Kind of shocked you have so many of them, Mr. Murderer. And how is your friend doing right now, with Jeffrey, would you say? Think that's a long term solution you got there?" Casey bit her lip and the girl suddenly changed her tone, "Hey, I think it's great you tried to help. You did help. We wouldn't have been aware of him till he went missing. I know there's nothing in the press but his father reached out to some people and it... alerted us to the situation. Our group- we're the right people to help Jeffrey."  
  
"Can you help us?" Casey breathed and resented the brief feeling of hope she'd felt before the girl shook her head. She briefly wondered the the supposed people Mr. Glass knew would also turn them away.  
  
"Maybe you, Casey. But this guy is fucking toxic right now," she jerked a thumb back at Barry.  
  
"The others, at the hospital-" Barry started but stopped when the man in front of him gave an exaggerated snort of amusement.  
  
"Yeah, you kind of fucked that up too, Mister," the girl said with a scowl. "I mean, it's complicated. Maybe you should have thought about that before you slipped out alone, leaving them there, eh? Back before they doubled their security?" Barry hung his head, flushing with embarrassment. "Whatever," the girl continued. "You do you. We can help you now by taking Jeffrey off your hands. I promise he'll be going somewhere safe, not to be studied or shut away or tortured." Looking Casey up and down critically, she hesitated before adding. "I guess you could come with us, Casey."  
  
A sense of dread welled up in her and she felt Barry staring at her. This had been the plan all along, she told herself. At some point she'd planned to slip away from the Horde and the others when things got too complicated. That had been before she'd burdened Victoria with the kid but now that problem would be solved too. It'd be easy, to just abandon the Horde on their quest to free yet another murder from a psychiatric hospital, someone she'd never even met. She'd even have the feel good feeling of knowing she was looking out for the kid, if she went with him to who knew where. And if what the girl suggested was true, she'd be able to find more people who were like her if she joined them. People who were like her who maybe weren't murderers. Maybe. But it didn't feel right. And while the Horde claimed they'd stopped killing, she was worried what would happen if she left them alone.  
  
Slowly she shook her head. "No, I think... I think I'm ok here for now," she said. She wanted to ask the girl if she was was different, like Jeff, but the fact that the man hadn't lowered the gun made her nervous. It also wasn't clear if they knew Casey was different as well and she certainly didn't want to raise their suspicions if they didn't already know.  
  
The girl looked relieved at this and nodded, hands still in pockets. "Great. Awesome. So... can we go get Jeffrey now?" Barry looked like he was still struggling with how things were going so Casey again answered for them.  
  
"No, it's late and... I want to check with him first. Make sure he's... ok with the idea." Thinking back to that solemn little expression, she imagined he wouldn't complain.  It took some negotiating, but Casey and the girl eventually agreed to meet at a neutral location tomorrow night. It was made clear to them if they didn't show up, they would be hunted down a second time and things would go worse next time. The large man didn't seem to care much about the details, he just kept his attention on Barry for the entirety of the exchange. When it was clear they were done, the girl punched him lightly on the arm and they both slinked away around the corner they'd not so long ago just jumped out from behind.  
  
When it was clear they were alone, Barry turned to her but Casey held up a hand. "Don't. Just... not right now, ok? Don't." Nodding mutely, they made their way back to the motel in silence.

 

* * *

 

Victoria could tell the doctor was disappointed that she hadn't brought a book this time. The woman didn't even bother tasting the cookie she picked up from the box and broke open. Victoria rolled her eyes so blatantly that the doctor surely noticed. She hoped she did.  
  
Elijah was also clearly disappointed to not receive another book, but he was usually so down these days that it barely registered. He was gracious when she handed him the box and selected one of the baked goods right away to taste. Watching him chew, Victoria had winced a little. The had been chosen for the meaning, not their flavor, and Victoria couldn't help but apologize as she began her verbal tightrope walk. "Did you know the pomegranate is quite common in Indian cooking? Unfortunately it's usually used in chutneys or rita and I didn't think they'd let me bring that in. A little messy, yes?" She smiled. "And though Mother always spoke of the many amazing British cookies and biscuits she had growing up, she never picked up a recipe for a single one. So I apologize if it's not the best, you're braving the wilderness that is our modern informational landscape. All that information and yet how can we trust it?"  
  
Mr Glass paused mid chew before swallowing. "It's fine, Victoria," he said in a tired voice. "You don't always have to bring me something, you know that." He was giving her a curious look though and she believed she had his attention. "Pomegranates?" He asked, slowly taking another bite.  
  
"Mmmmmm..." She looked down at her lap and willed her hands to be still for at least a moment. "I had some laying around," she tied to say in an offhand, casual way. And it was true. She'd set them on the counter as she'd pulled out her baking supplies, after having gone to the store explicitly to fetch them. "They have a very rich cultural history, did you know that?" She looked up and Mr Glass raised an eyebrow. "The plants originated on the border of Iran and India, in the mountains there, did you know? There's a lot of deep cultural meaning imbued with them. Indian royalty used to begin banquets with the juice from the seeds."  
  
"I see," he said, tipping his head to the side. "I hear they have great health benefits, cancer protection, antioxidants," he seemed prepared to list the entirety of them and she quickly waved her hand dismissively, trying to convey he should guess again.  
  
"Hmmm, modern science says quite a lot of posh about quite a number of things. Easily disputed, easily wrong. Isn't history much more fascinating with its truths? The people in the past may have been wrong, but the fact they believed such things is an undeniable truth."  
  
Narrowing his eyes, Mr Glass seemed to try again. "The Jewish people believed the pomegranate has 613 seeds to represent the 613 commandments in the Torah." Victoria flinched at that. "A sort of visual representation of a law, of agreed upon behavior? Commitments made, meant to be be honored." Yes, he seemed to see what she was saying and more. She now felt a touch guilty for underestimating the man, she'd been fully prepared to reveal all the histories as if to a school child. She had tried to be clever with her message but once again he'd known more and read deeper than she'd expected.  
  
"Indeed? Hmmm..." She cleared her throat. "I shouldn't be surprised you know that, I apologize if I was explaining something you already knew. It's just that most people seem to only be familiar with the histories of the fruit in relation to the Greek mythologies." She said, stressing the word as she jumped to the punch line. He obviously didn't need further guidance on how to read into that. His eyes widened a bit and he covered his shock with another cookie.  
  
He was halfway through chewing it before he looked down suddenly at the box, eyes flicking over the collection. "There were only six, before the doctor took one to verify it was safe," she supplied helpfully, happy he was paying attention.  
  
"Ah," he said carefully. Victoria nodded to herself, and the visit relaxed into less nuanced topics. She felt mostly certain he'd understood what she'd tried to imply. Casey had seemed to doubt that she'd be able to convey the six day countdown till escape merely with a batch of cookies but Victoria felt she'd pulled it off quite nicely.  
  
Eventually their time was up and Mr Glass smiled. "Thank you for visiting, as always, Victoria. You watch yourself though, my dear," his voice lowered to a murmur as he smiled down into his box of cookies. "You seem to be playing at being Hades but you strike me more as a Persephone." Victoria just laughed lightly at that, not appreciating the comment in the least.  
  
Dr Staple escorted her to the exit. When they were most of the way down the hall, she suddenly turned on the woman. "While I'm impressed you can ramble on for so long about your culinary efforts, the history of paper, metallurgy, and mythologies I know it's just a matter of time before you tell him about your little visit." Dr Staple jabbed a finger at Victoria as she said this, clearly frustrated by the session not going as she'd expected.  
  
"Maybe next time," Victoria said to the doctor as she let herself out.

 

* * *

 

They'd finished discussing and reviewing the encounter and tomorrow's plan half an hour ago, but Dennis still lingered in the Light. He knew they were supposed to take turns now but the schedule had gotten interrupted due to the attack and Casey insisting that he be the one she talk it through with. He had no idea how long he'd be able to stay in the Light, with her, now that the threat and discussion of it had passed but he savored every moment.  
  
The fact that she'd specifically asked to talk to him continued to be a source of intense pride. He sat in the chair at the small desk in the corner of the motel room. Casey was perched on the bed that took up most of the rest of the space. "Do you think we could have taken them?" she asked, looking up from behind the curtain of her hair. Dennis raised his eyebrows.  
  
"The Beast-"  
  
"No," she said, cutting him off. "You and me. Do you think we could have taken them?" She rubbed her knee, leg hanging over the edge of the bed. "Clearly Barry couldn't have. I had my gun with me." Unable to help himself, Dennis scowled and she laughed. He froze at the sound, immediately guarded. "I can't believe the mess upsets you so much. It's a small caliber pistol if it makes you feel any better," she said, smiling at him.  
  
She sounded so reasonable but her comment burned him. Every time someone talked about his compulsions it always ended with teasing or mockery or useless advice or platitudes about how everyone is special. "It's not just the mess, they can be very dangerous and easily turned against you. Keeping it simple is always much better," he said defensively. Casey laughed, as he expected her to, though there was no derision in the sound. The smile that lingered was relaxed and friendly. Dennis could feel himself grow nervous.  
  
"For the sake of argument, let's say I could hit someone if I was able to draw my gun. Do you think we could have taken them?" Now she rested both palms on the bed and sort of leaned forward towards him, eager to know what he thought. Eager to be told they would have won in a fight.  
  
Sighing heavily, Dennis ran a hand over his head. "Casey, I've seen what someone looks like shot. It's not pretty," he said carefully, worried he'd upset her. The girl just tipped her head at him and narrowed her eyes slightly. Nervously he licked his lips and realized she’d seen at least two individuals half eaten which was arguably worse. He tried to quickly move on and answer the question. "As- As for taking them, I don't know. That was a very large man, with a gun that would have been in my face." He shook his head. "Maybe you could have taken them both alone, but I don't think I would have been very helpful."  
  
She tipped her head the other way, staring at him. "Really? What would you have done? Let's say the Beast wouldn't come when you called."  
  
Dennis shifted uneasily, uncertain why she cared. This is why they'd needed the Beast. Dennis was only good at a very few things and he didn't think this was one of them.  
  
"I'd give the Light to Patricia," he said easily. Casey seemed quite surprised by this and leaned in just a little further. "Without the Beast there was no way I could take that guy in a fight. I could distract him for you, maybe, but I think he was probably pretty trigger happy so that distraction would cost my life. No, if you weren't there to talk us out of it, Patricia would have had to do so." He nodded to himself, comfortable in knowing his limits.  
  
She licked her lips and Dennis was quite certain his heart skipped a beat. Of course the gesture was innocent, she was just eager to hit him with a follow up question, but it sent his mind skittering places it wasn't supposed to. "Those weren't the rules. Barry couldn't switch so you wouldn't get to either. What would you do? Also, I don't think Patricia is a better negotiator than you." It hung unspoken between them that she would know.  
  
Rising a hand to run over his head again, Dennis looked about the room. He almost felt like he should ask someone else to step in the Light now. Her questions were making him nervous. She was making him nervous. It took effort to decide what exactly to respond to. "I would have followed your lead," he answered. "You've already demonstrated, multiple times, that you know how to handle complicated situations. You also have experience handling opponents who can physically overpower you."  
  
Now Casey rocked back on the bed, looking a little stunned. She drew up her leg onto the bed, drawing both knees in close to herself. "Oh," she said and Dennis felt panicked. He'd answered honestly but maybe he was supposed to have said something else, though he couldn't have guessed what it should have been.  
  
Quickly getting to his feet, Dennis started to apologize. "I'm sorry, I should let you sleep. It was a stressful situation. I'm going to let you get your sleep." He quickly made his way to the door and Casey turned, watching him. It was ridiculous for them to have rented two rooms, but Casey had insisted. First she'd insisted that there was no way they were going to share a room. When he pointed out they didn't actually need one she'd insisted that they not wander around at night without her. But her first rule apparently also remained. They'd settle on Dennis getting a room next door so that she could spy on him but not the other way around. It'd made him uncomfortable, but he had just considered that fitting. Now having a room to escape to suddenly felt like a blessing.  
  
"Dennis," she called, stopping him just as he'd begun to turn the door handle. He paused, not moving to look at her but at least waiting, listening. "I think we could have done it," she said. "I think we could have taken them."  
  
With a stiff nod of his head, he let himself out of the room. Closing it behind him, he paused and felt himself flush. Reaching a hand up, he dragged it over his face, knocking his glasses askew as he did so. A thought struck him and he flinched, jerking his hand away. But of course, she could probably see him here too if she wanted. There was no concealing how much she affected him.  
  
Numbly, he turned and moved towards his motel room. With a slowly growing horror, he realized it was like the hospital all over again. But rather than Dr. Staple, it was Casey watching him. Asking him questions. Reaching his own bed, he breathed heavily and lowered his head into his hands. But no, that wasn't right. Dennis shook his head, trying to clear it. Dr. Staple had asked and pried, trying to get at something they denied her. Casey could ask for anything and he'd give it to her, there would be no prying. To pry would suggest resistance and Dennis knew he could offer her none. It was not like the hospital, he tried to tell himself.  
  
Suddenly his time in the Light made more sense. It wasn't a gift, it was a punishment.

 

* * *

 

 

They picked up Jeff the next day. Felicia stayed in the car while Casey ran up stairs to fetch him. The dark circles under Victoria's eyes made it clear that the mysterious girl's intervention couldn't have come sooner. Hearing the woman's awkward stuttering and talking around several issues, Casey realized the situation had gotten much more dire than the email exchanges had made it sound.  
  
The plan had been explained via email the previous night and the hand off agreed to with varying degrees of acceptance. Jeff didn't have much to say and appeared more than ready to leave. Victoria seemed all too eager to hustle him out of her home. Upon finding Felicia in the car, the boy's already stoic behavior seemed to become even more distant. "Hola," she said, nodding from the passenger seat as he silently climbed in the back.  
  
Casey had just clicked her seatbelt into place when Hedwig gave an enthusiastic greeting and almost kneed her in the face as he climbed through the car into the back seats, to sit with the child. Glancing in the rear view mirror, she caught a glimpse of one of those elusive smiles from the kid.  
  
The two had chatted excitedly for the entire drive to the handoff location. Casey didn't exactly approve of some of the things that Jeff had to say about Victoria but she wasn't going to interrupt what little time they had. It took effort to convince Hedwig that Patricia was the best person to be in the Light when they met the strangers. Personally Casey would have preferred Dennis but Patricia appeared to be the Horde's elected favorite for such things. Hedwig and the child exchanged a shock-free hug before he stepped back and Patricia surfaced. Casey couldn't help but scowl at the sight of her.  
  
"For the record, I think Dennis is a better negotiator," she muttered under her breath to Patricia, who turned, eyebrows raising. Casey was spared some clever retort by the arrival of their other halves. There really wasn't much to say, Casey realized with a lead weight in her stomach. She didn't really know the kid and she couldn't really promise he'd be better off with two other strangers compared to the three strangers who had been helping him so far. Helping, after one of the three strangers had killed and eaten his babysitter. Casey sighed heavily and just nodded to the girl.  
  
The large man looked Patricia up and down with a faint sneer. Jeff, silent as ever, just stepped away from Case and approached the girl. He didn't even ask her name, say anything, do anything, he just stood in front of her and waited. Casey felt her skin crawl with the strangeness of it all.  
  
"Hey!" Hedwig shouted and everyone tensed. The large man quickly had a gun out and moved to stand between Hedwig and the child. "Hey, you guys better be nice to Jeff, ok! Because the Beast, he'll find you and he'll destroy you if you hurt him, ok?" Huffing, Hedwig seemed to not care in the least at the two guns now pointed at him. The girl had drawn hers and she reached out to push Jeff behind herself though stopped short in time. She must have known that was touching the kid was a bad idea and Casey again wished she knew more about the pair.  
  
"Jeff! Jeff!" Hedwig cried, fists clenched at his side. "If they aren't nice to you, you let us know! Well, you probably can't reach us... But you can reach Ms Victoria and let her know and then she'll let Casey know and then she'll tell me and I'll tell the Beast! And then they'll be sorry!" There were threatening finger jabs that accompanied this proclamation. Casey just raised a hand and covered her face at the outburst.  
  
The young boy gave a fierce nod, which seemed to satisfy Hedwig. From the way he pulled back and composed himself, he had apparently returned the Light to Patricia, who seemed quite mortified by the experience. There was truly nothing left to be said after that, and so the two groups parted ways.

 

* * *

 

The alters continued to cycle through at a schedule Casey didn't understand nor really try to. She'd greet each new individual with the same sort of level calm and vague aloofness, expressing no interest in how long they'd be there or who would show up next. Of the ones she'd already met, she appeared to be mostly neutral towards all but a few. The interactions between her and Patricia could only be labeled as cool and unsurprisingly Casey seemed to take an instant dislike to Bernice but the feeling was apparently mutual. A small handful of them appeared to interest her, the rest passed by without much commentary. It was in the company of Hedwig or Dennis that she seemed to be the most engaged, much to the collective vague discomfort of the others.  
  
At the moment, however, Dennis and Casey sat in silence. They were again at another stake out when there was a soft ping from Casey's cheap replacement phone and she checked it. Reading the message, she gasped lightly and then laughed. "We should have asked her sooner about this... apparently she found the schematics for the whole building."  
  
"Of course she did," Patricia said smugly, surprising no one with the intrusion. "She's quite clever at finding just about anything and everything one might want to know about a subject." Patricia usually stayed far away during these long meditation passages of time spent waiting and watching. It was clear she wanted the Light now however.  Thankfully she didn't fight Dennis for it, instead choosing only to force them to continue speaking. "Which is why I thought we should have consulted with her from the very beginning."  
  
Casey stared at him, phone lowered, and he shook his head. Asserting more control over the Light, Dennis drew a deep breath. "Sorry," he apologized, exhaling. "Patricia can get a little... defensive on the topic of Victoria."  
  
"I noticed," Casey muttered, frowning. "Which is why we're out here and not there." Dennis's teeth clicked as Patricia now struggled suddenly and fiercely to take the Light from him. With a gasp, he rapped his head once against the seat's headrest to fended her off. "You doing okay there, Dennis?" Casey asked as he settled down again.  
  
"Yes," he said between grit teeth. "Just... having a minor disagreement." Casey continued to watch him closely as he struggled to be certain he had control of the situation. Eventually he let out a long, shaky breath and ran his hands down the front of his shirt. "I apologize for that."  
  
"Which part? Letting Patricia speak? Fighting with her? What she said?" Dennis shifted uncomfertably and gripped the wheel rather than answer. "Do you agree with her?" she asked, tentatively.  
  
"About what?" Dennis didn't like talking about things he an Patricia disagreed on. He'd found things much improved when he worked with her. Even being caught and sent to the hospital in some ways had been an improvement over how life had been before, at least for the two of them. They worked well together. He didn't like to think about ways in which they didn't.  
  
"Do you think Victoria should be more involved in planning an escape? She tried to turn you in." Dennis craned his neck, looking out the window, avoiding looking at Casey. He wished she would do him the favor in return.  
  
"No. Not because she'd turn us in- she wouldn't. And not because she's not clever enough- I'm sure she'd come up with a much better plan than me." Dennis drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "She's going to end up getting hurt. I think Patricia and several of the others overlook that, for one reason or another." Dennis flicked his eyes to the side and back, uncomfortable. He didn't want Casey to get the wrong idea, but he also didn't want Patricia to get angry at him either. Thankfully the girl nodded in seemingly agreement.  
  
"I don't see why we don't just go back and get her help," Patricia interjected once again. The fact she'd interrupt twice against his wishes highlighted the rift Victoria caused between them and Dennis lowered his eyes in extreme discomfort. "Dennis, you have no right to refuse her help and claim it's on her behalf. It's her choice to make, whether to help us or not. Being selfless just puts us all in danger." Dennis slammed his hand on the steering wheel and she thankfully stopped talking.  
  
It was no surprise that Casey stared at him with wide eyes. Like any reasonable person she'd no doubt be disturbed by their actions, Dennis knew. That talking to oneself was the height of crazy behavior was something they were all very aware of and usually tried to avoid. He ducked his head in shame, color rising, as the look on her face twisted into frustrated anger.  
  
"Patricia!" she shouted. "We're not going back because Victoria is scared of you! And because I don't trust you around her. I think her decisions are somewhat compromised in regards to... you all and I don't want her involved, getting hurt. It seems like Dennis is the only one else here who can see that it's for her own good that we keep our distance."  
  
Having forced herself fully into the light during the rant, Patricia just sniffed and lifted their chin. "Nonsense. Victoria has nothing to worry from us. There's no way we'd allow the Beast to-"  
  
"I meant you, Patricia. I don't trust YOU around her."  
  
It was clear this both offended and distressed Patricia. Lifting a hand to her throat, she whispered "Surely Victoria isn't scared of me." Casey just stared at her. "What nonsense," she assured herself. "She's uncomfortable with some of our past actions, which considering what a sheltered creature she is, is absolutely understandable, but that's not the same thing as fear. She's not scared of us- of me, and she certainly doesn't have any reason to be." Lifting her chin defiantly she concluded with, "I'm in fact quite certain Victoria is fond of us. All of us."  
  
"Yeah," Casey muttered, turning away, "just keep telling yourself that."

 

* * *

 

They caved two days later, having reached the end of reasonable scouting and gathering of information the old fashioned way. It was clear they had to formulate a plan and do it soon, their self imposed deadline was fast approaching. Victoria was just happy that they'd listened to reason and agreed to come to her place for a planning session. Who knew what sort of madness the two to twenty five of them could get up to on their own without her help. It'd taken multiple reassurances that she wanted to help and that them planning together in person was really the only way to go about it before Casey had reluctantly agreed to it. It'd followed quite logically after that for them to spend at least one night at her place so they could strategize through the night. At least, that's what she'd told them.  
  
It's was just before dinner when they arrive back at the apartment. Victoria wrung her hands for a moment at the knock on the door. At least this time they waited till she was ready to let them in. Looking about, she realized there really was no going back at this point. With a nervous gulp, she opened the door and greeted her guests. Casey returning felt good, her company having been actively missed, but as... someone stepped through the door behind the girl, Victoria felt herself begin to panic.  
  
"The- the- the chicken will be out shortly," she called over her shoulder, hustling into the kitchen. She didn't wish to linger to see any look Casey and whoever would be joining them exchanged. It was a couple minutes later, as she furiously stirred a pot at the stove, that Casey joined her.  
  
"You... you okay, Victoria?" she asked carefully. "It's not too late, you know. You could ask us to leave, it'd be fine."  
  
Victoria blushed and stirred more vigorously. "Nonsense. You're staying. Though- Though," the spoon continued to swirl, then slowed and eventually paused as Victoria gulped. "I was hoping maybe I could sleep with you in your room tonight. You know... just because... I'm... a little scared. And I don't want them out in the living room, so they'll have to sleep in my room."  
  
Casey's eyes widened at that logic. "Wait, what? You want them to sleep in your room and not the living room?"  
  
"But of course! What if I want to escape in the middle of the night or something. I don't want to disturb them if I need to use the restroom, I don't want to run into a shirtless Luke or... or something. Oh it's true, isn't it? About the not sleeping?" Casey nodded slowly, wondering now if perhaps she didn't share her friend's concerns in a roundabout way. "Well then they are certainly not welcome to spend the evening in the living room! I couldn't bare the thought of them near my books all night long." Victoria gave a little shiver.  
  
The matter was put aside for the time being as Victoria realized she didn't know who she'd left in her living room. Hurrying back to them she found Barry sitting awkwardly on her couch, fingers laced together and apparently trying to look as innocent as possible. "Victoria," he said with a nod in greeting.  
  
The mixture of emotions Victoria felt in realizing who she'd be entertaining for the meal was complicated. She chose not to dwell on it overly much at the moment, focusing on the fact that of the many possible outcomes, this one would undoubtedly be the calmest. No doubt why they'd chosen to put him forward. Victoria tried to twitch her lips into a smile, struggling with the politics of the entire situation.  
  
"Barry, pleasure to see you again. To think! As we never believed would be possible, you will finally get to taste the amazing, much raved about Vavati masala!" the smile became easier as she spoke, recalling previous discussions they'd had during her visits. Here was someone who had in fact endured long rants about her mother's cooking, true he'd been confined to a mental institution and was rather forced to listen to them for lack of anything better to do... but he had been a good listener. His returned enthusiasm seemed genuine and his comments confirmed he recalled their conversations.  
  
The dinner was somehow not horribly awkward. They seemed to all be trying for a calm, sociable meal and collectively walked a conversational tight rope strung between cooking, publishing, and French literature. That Casey couldn't really keep up that well seemed to be a sacrifice they were willing to make. Smooth conversation shepherded by Barry and several glasses of wine seemed to put everyone a little more at ease.  
  
Victoria waited until after everyone had clearly finished eating to mention she had invited Joseph over for breakfast tomorrow morning. Her guests were immediately aghast at this. "I thought you didn't want to involve him?" Casey asked, obviously uncomfortable that Victoria had gone and done something that might be considered reckless without consulting them.  
  
"Well, we're all beyond that aren't we now?" Victoria replied in a curious tone. "If we're really trying to succeed, we should go 'all in' as they say." Taking another sip of wine, she glanced between her two guests. Casey just rubbed a hand across her eyes and didn't respond. Barry carefully cleared his throat and drained his glass.  
  
"Patricia goes on and on about how clever you are," he said carefully, "so I'm going to have to assume here that this is a good idea. Though... it does take a little bit of effort on my part to do so." He poured himself another glass of wine and then topped Casey's off. The two exchanged worried glances as Barry leaned back in his chair. Victoria wasn't surprised they were reluctant, that was the reason she'd not mentioned it ahead of time and why she'd pressed for them to stay the night. Someone was going to have to bring this all together and she had started to realized that the job likely fell to her.  
  
After that conversation finally degraded into nothing more than planning. They discussed options and possible routes and profiles. Dennis and Casey shared what and who they'd observed, Victoria what she'd pieced together. It wasn't much but Victoria pointed out that sleeping on all the information was always the first best step in formulating a successful plan. Which, naturally, lead to the sleeping situation being discussed. Barry almost choked on his wine. "Wait, what? Let me get this straight- you'd rather I spend the night in your room?"  
  
"Better in my room than out here with all my books!" Victoria blinked in confusion. She wondered what could possibly be found in her bedroom that would be more embarrassing that what lay in some of those volumes.  
  
Clearly growing distressed over what to do with her guests after the meal had been cleaned up and the situation sorted out, Victoria wrung her hands and glanced about. As usual, it landed on her bookcase. "I would like to go to my room and read, I think," she said, quickly correcting herself. "To Casey's room. Where I'm staying. To read. By myself, or, at least, Casey, until you feel like turning in..." Both Barry and Casey nodded in understanding and Victoria awkwardly moved to her shelf and selected a book, and then two more. She started towards the hallway and then paused, looking back behind herself but at neither of them in particular, she said, "Please, um, please stay away from my books," and then hurried down the hall.  
  
She felt like an idiot, curled up on the cushions she'd arranged on the floor for this very purpose. No doubt the correct thing would have been to stay and make polite conversation with them, but she'd just felt too overwhelmed. And she'd banned them from her shelf, truly one of the rudest things one could do, in Victoria's opinion. She cursed herself as a terrible hostess. Rather than resuming reading any of the books she'd brought in with her, or returning to the living room, she contemplated which book would be most fitting for her guests, thinking perhaps she could make up for her failures.  
  
The thoughts didn't have long to percolate, Casey soon joining her in the room and claiming they'd all agreed to an early start tomorrow. Casey protested that she was certain Barry had gone to her room and was safely away from the bookshelves as Victoria rose to her feet and excused herself.  
  
"Just a moment," she murmured and couldn't quite hear what Casey grumbled as she slipped into the hallway. Padding quietly to her shelf, she selected a slim book from and carefully approached the door to her bedroom. She half expected it to swing open on it's own before she'd even reached it. She stood there trembling for a moment before she knocked on the door. It immediately opened and Dennis looked equally distressed at the sight of her as she was at the sight of him. Clearly neither had quite expected the other to be the one at the door.  
  
Still, Victoria swallowed and held out the volume. "I... I said not to touch my books, and I do mean it, but I thought if you were bored you might want to read something and I really think of all the books here I think this is definitely the one you should read right now so let me give it to you so you don't need to go into the living room out of boredom in the middle of the night okay good night now." She ran out of breath just as she ran out of words. Stepping back, she felt flushed. Without really thinking, she shut the door between them, paused as she realized what she'd done, and then hurried back to Casey's room, mortified.

 

* * *

 

Dennis squinted at the book that'd been thrust in his hands before the door had been closed on his face. From across the hall he could just barely make out the sound of Casey asking Victoria a question. Moving to sit on the bed, he flipped the book over and stared at the sparse cover. Rich black cloth with gold letters stamped plainly on the cover. Down the spine ran a string of letters- "SUNTZU"- which seemed strang for only a moment before the author's name snapped into focus. He snorted softly, amused at the reading suggestion. He felt a slight twinge in his chest and swallowed thickly as Patricia leaned briefly too near the Light. With a shake of his head, he forced her back. He didn't need her to be touched on their behalf for the book suggestion. Stretching out his legs, he settled into a comfortable position to read.  
  
On one hand it was touching that Victoria cared enough to offer yet another book suggestion that she genuinely thought he'd find interesting and he had reason to believe she'd be right. On the other it seemed rather heavy handed and obvious and maybe a little over the top. What did she think was going on here? He shook his head in an amused way this time, and ran his thumb over the title before flipping it open to the start. "The Art of War" he whispered under his breath, for once wondering if any of the others might want to follow along. "Chapter 1, Laying Plans"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's chapter 9. Next chapter is "The Best Laid Plans"
> 
> I must say, the Casey & Dennis stake out scenes have been some of the most fun to write & re-read (not counting the handful of future smut I've already jotted down). This whole chapter went from being a tedious bridge between two narrative points on the path to where we're going and instead blossomed into what I find to be an adorable collection of brief character examinations. Also, here's my first chance to flash my hand of how I envision the broader world, outside the narrow camera lens following Victoria so far.
> 
> To all, lets say five of you, who are actively reading this as I post it-- I thank you. This fic will of course sit on A03 once I'm done, slowly gathering dust and forever being available. No doubt it'll pick up a couple more views over time but I just wanted to say that the small collection of you who check out my chapters on the day I post, it really mean a lot to me. 
> 
> In closing, [Only If You Run by Julian Plenti](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lm1fVRAyH8) is my take on Institutionalized Mr. Glass's theme song. Sorta sad, sorta hopeful. I almost imagine it's him talking to himself... ([here again](https://open.spotify.com/user/simplysithel/playlist/2qDx6jxNNNF0uDqwRFYUPY) is my Spotify playlist with for the story)


	10. The Best Laid Plans

Casey's eyes snapped open and she knew Patricia had slinked into the kitchen. That she leave Victoria alone had been one of the key ground rules in them accepting the offer of help, and yet there she was, only a little over twelve hours in and already sneaking about. The fact that Victoria smiled upon seeing her and refrained from jumping or cowering or anything too dramatic did nothing to put Casey at ease.

 

She could barely hear the soft sound of them talking when she strained to listen. Apparently super hearing didn't automatically come paired with her powers of sight. With a heavy sigh she realized she'd probably need to learn to lip read or something. Victoria was happily pointing out a passage in her cookbook as Patricia leaned in far too close to read the text, causing Casey to press the heels of her palms against closed eyes. Her friend was not helping with the situation.

 

By the time Casey had dragged herself down the hall and into the kitchen, Patricia had retreated to a stool against the counter and gave the girl an innocent look when she entered. Casey just glared in return and then thanked Victoria as a cup of coffee was pressed into her hands and she found herself guided to the other seat at the counter. Patting her on the shoulder before returning to the stove, Victoria seemed happy to continue talking about the albumen of an egg and its chemical properties. Patricia seemed to follow along, nodding at the appropriate moments and adding her own comment or two, as she smiled and sipped at her cup of tea.

 

Not being murdered or attacked in her sleep had apparently put Victoria in much better spirits this morning. Tipping a small portion of scrambled eggs onto plates that had be placed in front of everyone, she suggested they try to at least formulate something resembling a first pass of a plan before Joseph arrived. Toast was added and Patricia agreed with her when she said they wouldn't want to make a bad first impression. Casey and Patricia exchanged glares when Victoria wasn't looking, their host continuing to bustle about the kitchen in what was clearly becoming a cover for her nerves or any unease she was feeling.

 

Casey was saved from having to make a too overt of attempt to shoo Patricia away by the fact it was someone named Polly's turn in the Light. The reluctance was visible on Patricia's face the moments before she gave up the Light but thankfully Victoria's back had been turned, busying herself by washing the dishes. Of course this Polly immediately tried to shoo Victoria away from the sink, claiming that as guests they of course should help with the cleanup. Polly also pointed out that she was no good for planning, happily taking up the scrubber brush instead. Casey felt the urge to point out she was doing them no good being there, that there far more useful alters who perhaps deserved the Light at the moment, but good sense kept her mouth shut. No longer able to distract herself, Victoria hovered nervously for a while before she left the kitchen to get ready. Casey finished her coffee in relatively easy silence as Polly hummed to herself at the sink. Their plan remained unhatched.

 

* * *

 

It was nearly time for Joseph to arrive and Victoria was back in the kitchen, tending to the last prep of the brunch meal, when she heard them. "You're wrong," she could just make out Dennis saying from around the corner. "We have no idea how this will go, I should handle it."

 

"We simply must trust Victoria in this," Patricia replied in an equally hushed but audible voice. "If he sees you glower at him it'll start us out on entirely wrong foot."

 

"And watching you fawn over the woman will put him at ease?" Dennis answered with and Victoria felt a touch of distress due to the next room over. While Patricia did seem to... flirt... excessively at times, she didn't feel it warranted the degree of condemnation that Dennis and Casey seemed intent on heaping on her. Knocking the spoon loudly on the saucepan, she carefully set it down and exited the kitchen.

 

Dennis watched her as she stepped into the hall, a faint bit of color creeping up his neck, apparently embarrassed to have been caught mid-discussion. Clearing her throat she tried to be diplomatic as possible. "I agree with Patricia, Dennis. Joseph is... very familiar with the... narrative of the Beast and your part, both your parts really, in the matter." She tried to carefully sidestep the issue of their murderous nature both verbally and mentally. "I- I think someone like Orwell would be best to handle this." The frown her suggestion earned made it abundantly clear how likely that would be. "Or Barry. Barry was very nice over dinner last night... Certainly put me at ease. And I should note that Joseph is, ah, perhaps a touch nervous at times. Perhaps even, ah, more so than myself."

 

This was not welcome news and Dennis seemed inclined to mutter angrily under his breath at this revelation but Patricia quickly spoke up. "Excellent idea, my dear, exactly what I was going to suggest." With lips compressing into a frown Dennis seemed to have no argument. It was therefore decided and it was indeed Barry who lurked in the kitchen when there was a knock on the door not long after.

 

"Why don't you two stay here for a moment and let me handle this," Victoria said with a weak smile. "It'd be best for me to explain everything."

 

"Wait, what?" Casey hissed in surprise as Victoria moved to the door. "Does he even know we're here?!?" And then it was too late, the door opened and Joseph stepped in, smiling as usual. He seemed somewhat surprised to see Casey as she emerged from the kitchen, glancing between her and Victoria a couple times as he kicked off his shoes. 

 

"Ah, hi Casey. I thought you were on vacation...? Victoria said you'd be out of town for a while. Trip not go as planned?" The two women exchanged glances as Victoria gently guided him to the couch. 

 

"Actually, Joseph, about that... There were a couple of things I was hoping we could talk about today..." As expected, the man was able to handle the shock of it all remarkably well. Casey didn't seem to appreciate Victoria sharing that fact that she was also like Mr. Dunn but Victoria knew his fascination with her powers would help shore up his good will. Which was definitely needed when Barry eventually emerged from the kitchen. 

 

"Oh my God!" Joseph cried at the sight of him, stumbling to his feet and immediately backing towards the door. Barry tried his best to look non-threatening and given how threatening they could look Victoria thought he did a pretty good job. 

 

Though Joseph made it as far as the door, repeatedly expressing entirely understandable shock and concern at everything, Victoria managed to coax him back to the couch with a soothing stream of words and a firm hand on his elbow. As someone who herself had just gone through this process not too long ago, she thought she did quite well talking him away from the edge of hysterics. Casey and Barry remained mostly silent for this, the skepticism obvious in their expressions and not particularly helpful.

 

When it became clear he wouldn't immediately bolt if left unattended, she shepherded everyone to the table and served a modest brunch. Barry took the opportunity to present himself as entirely reasonable and unthreatening individual. Which, technically, Barry was. Again demonstrating his consummate skill at conversation he found a number of safe topics with which to chat to Joseph about throughout the meal. Victoria avoided looking at Casey as much as possible during this since the girl appeared to glare at her in bottled anger for the entirety of it. While she understood Casey's frustration in having Joseph walk into this blind she surely couldn't have thought Victoria would have tried to have such conversations over the phone.

 

As the meal ran down and the talk began to falter, Victoria stepped in to commence the planning. As much as Barry's presence seemed to unnerve the man, Joseph seemed enthusiastically on board with the idea of breaking his father out of the hospital. That he so easily waved aside the legality of such actions sort of startled Victoria, personally she'd needed several days- not just minutes- to grapple with the idea.

 

When the floorplans for the building came out and the information they'd collected shared, Victoria found herself immediately gratified by her decision to include Joseph. While she had known he was in the software industry, she was as stunned as the other two to learn that his company ran the backing security system of the hospital. The coincidence seemed almost suspicious and she echoed the disbelief Casey immediately voiced upon hearing this.

 

Joseph looked a little embarrassed and ran a hand through his hair rather sheepishly. "I've always wanted to help my dad, ever since I was a kid," he explained "I mean, I've know for as long as he has that he... was special." Joseph glanced quickly at Casey and Barry when he said this. "And it always killed me that I wasn't like him, that I couldn't help. But when I went looking for a job after school I realized I might be able to help him... You know, in my own way."

 

Victoria continued to gave him a shocked look. "Joseph, have you been hacking security systems for your father?" Another thought occurred to her and she quickly asked, "Why didn't you mention you had access to the hospital like that sooner?" Again the man ducked his head.

 

"It's not hacking when I work for the company. More like... sharing proprietary client data... And I didn't mention it before because I..." He quickly glanced at Victoria and then away again. "I didn't know how you'd take the information. If you'd get any... ideas."

 

"Ideas like breaking your father out? Or Orwell for that matter?" Casey asked dryly and the two exchanged a look. 

 

"Well, it's a little late for that now, isn't it?" Joseph replied, giving Barry an awkward glance. "You could say the worst damage has been done so, what the hell. Why not." He threw up his hands and there was a collective lessening of tensions after that.

 

It took them another hour or so but when they put all the pieces together Victoria quite felt like there was the beginnings of a viable plan starting to form. It would have been rude to boast, but as she stood to prepare a pot of tea for everyone, she was quite certain she'd done the right thing by taking over the planning of this... misadventure.

 

* * *

 

"If- If," Joseph cleared his throat and tried again. "If you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you get out the first time?" he managed to open with when he arrived the next day for their second and final planning session. He smiled weakly as Barry gave him a wide grin. 

 

"We have no clue, can you believe it?" Barry said and then laughed. Joseph continued to set up his laptop and notes at the table and Barry leaned casually against it next to him. Dennis hovered at the edge of the Light, impatiently awaiting his turn since they'd agreed he would be the primary one to help during today's meeting. Barry found it mildly infuriating. The newest member of their party was clearly struggling to warm up to them, the last thing they needed was one of the Horde in the Light acting weird and putting him on edge again.

 

Casey shot him a confused glance, a crease forming between those beautifully arched eyebrows of her. With a sigh, Barry corrected himself. "Okay, I mean, we know Ms Price did something. But she wouldn't tell us. Rather she wouldn't tell Casey." He waved a hand, the other wrapped around his waist. "She made it quite clear there'd be no help coming from her this time. Which doesn't make sense, I mean, we're doing this explicitly to help Elijah." He paused and quickly added. "And your dad."

 

Emerging from the kitchen with a platter of sandwiches, Victoria sighed loudly and Barry raised an eyebrow. "I'm not surprised she doesn't feel she can trust you," the woman said with quite the mournful note to the voice. "Both the Prices were so... devastated, just absolutely devastated by the- by your escape. By His escape." The woman struggled with her word choice as she set the platter in the center of the table. "I wouldn't have thought involving her would be a good idea..." She glanced to Casey and the girl sighed, apparently irritated at having the subject brought up. Maybe she and Dennis had agreed not to talk about it, Barry couldn't remember and didn't much care. He was definitely more on Patricia's side at this point, believing greater transparency would aid in the end. 

 

"I... did approach her. A couple days ago," Casey muttered, sounding very much like the sullen teenager she was. "It didn't go well. Dennis was there, but waiting out of sight. She made it quite clear that if she were to cross paths with him, them, she'd report them to the police." Casey glanced over at Victoria. "But, you know, in a more malicious way than you did," she offered in response to the woman's mortified expression. "I assume she hired someone to, I don't know, do something... "

 

Joseph nodded at this, his screen coming on and both women moving to stand next to him. Barry let out a sad sigh, knowing his time was short. "Well I don't blame her for being upset," Joseph muttered and then quickly looked over to Barry, apologetic. "No offense. I just mean, she probably paid someone a lot of money to do what they did. To do so and still not have her son free..." Joseph shook his head, fingers moving over the keyboard. 

 

"So can you pull up the video feed of the hospital?" Casey asked, leaning in to look over Joseph's shoulder. Barry appreciated her changing the subject away from their apparent failure to honor a bargen none of them had even known about. Taking her cue however, he reluctantly stepped out of the Light. Joseph seemed to be made unease by either the question or the girl's proximity and stuttered as he responded, something Dennis could sympathized with.

 

"No- no... That's en- encrypted. I can't really intercept anything and, you know, spy on them or change what they see. At least, not unless I want to get caught. Which I don't." A worried look was cast about the room and Victoria nodded. It seemed to be a game he and the woman were playing. They appeared to nervously toe the line of how far they'd be willing to go to help, repeatedly drawing back and making clear their limits with proclamations of not wanting to get caught. By this point Dennis was quite sick of it and wished they'd just get to the point and spare everyone else the verbalizing of their moral wobbling.

 

"What I was planning on was just... inducing an outage. There aren't many bugs in the system, obviously," he looked around the room again as he explained, "but there's there's an open bug that hasn't been fixed yet. It was only reported this week, it's a really corner case issue but I think I can trigger it. No data corruption or anything, but it'll blackout the system until someone manually redeploys. Even then it'll take a couple extra minutes for the machine to switch over... I'd say you'd get somewhere between three and thirty minutes." 

 

"Three?!" Casey cried, stepping back. "What good will that do us?" Joseph just looked apologetic and shrugged.

 

"If the engineer on pagerduty is paying attention, there's nothing I can do. But I checked the schedule, if this happens tomorrow it'll be Dan and... I think that puts you closer to the thirty side of things."

 

Dennis rubbed a hand over his mouth, squinting at the floor plan intently. "It'll take at least six to reach the ward, more if we want to try to avoid anyone. There won't be a lock on the patient door. Doors," he amended after a sharp glare from Casey. "But the stairwell will be locked. It'll take about....what, Ansel?" Dennis's eyes fluttered for a moment and then fixed on the floor plan. Everyone around the table watched closely as he slowly reached up to remove his glasses. Unhurriedly, he leaned forward and reached out to touch the paper, resting a finger next to the mark indicating the door.

 

"It depends," he spoke slowly, voice low with a faint German accent. "Victoria, do you have wire? Files? Pliers?" His eyes flicked over to the woman who nodded mutely. "Three minutes, maybe five if this information is out of date." He straightened up and returned the glasses to his nose. Dennis clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head. "There's almost half our time and we won't even have Elijah out."

 

"It's only six more to get back out," Casey said. "That's within the time limit." She looked over at Dennis, her stare hard. "It will have to work," she said and the two of them shared a significant glance that the other two failed to notice.

 

"They're going to freak out though when their system goes down," Joseph said, shaking his head. "Send someone in to check it out. They need to not notice when it happens, which means," he looked up and across the table. "We need an additional distraction."

 

Victoria chewed on her lip but nodded her head. "I... I think I can do that." Dennis frowned. "I could go in late, but before they do the guard shift. We know the doctor often stays that late. I- I- I could claim to have additional information about the activities of- of you all," she said, nodding to Dennis. "Which would be true. And she'd talk to me. She'd let me in and I could- I could distract her."

 

"What about the rest of the staff?" Casey asked, annoyed at the simplicity of the idea. Victoria flapped a dismissive hand, clearly becoming too attached to her suggestion.

 

"They're really quite dependent on the doctor. I believe if I make enough of a scene I could draw their attention quite effectively," Victoria said in stubborn defense of her part in the plan. 

 

Joseph shook his head, "I can't time it that tightly. The system will go down when it goes down. I can give you a window of time I expect it to fail in, maybe fifteen minutes? I can let you know when it happens though and that's when we have our three to thirty minutes." 

 

The look Casey gave Victoria was extremely skeptical. "So, what? She sits you down and you say....? What? You'll distract her for five minutes or so, what does that get us? I think we-"

 

With an offended sniff, Victoria lifted her head. "I don't know if you're aware of it, Casey, but I am quite able to draw out a conversation longer than five minutes. Some might say it's one of my greater flaws, but that's beside the point. It's my belief that Dr Staple holds a special antagonism against myself, for reasons I don't fully understand, and I'm certain that between the two of us being awful at each other we could easily burn thirty minutes. Forty five even to span the whole window of time. If she gets tired of being rude to me I can always highlight how familiar I am with her earlier research. That would surely set her off." Victoria smiled to herself and placed a finger to her lips, apparently getting lost in the idea of it.

"So the doctor is distracted," Dennis clarified, "Which in turn distracts her team, which means we can get in and out, no problem?" He looked around the room. "I'm pretty sure David is going to be a problem."

 

"Which is why I need to come with you," Joseph said with a firm tone, surprising both Casey and Victoria. When they both gave him incredulous stares, the man sort of blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "It makes sense. I'm the only one who can calm him down immediately. The attack is mostly a script, I can easily execute it and monitor the system remotely. And... " he glanced around the table, "I- My dad never let me be part of any of his... work. I want to be a part of it this time."

 

Dennis gave a disparaging snort but remained silent when Casey shot him a look. In the end, they did flesh their plan out a bit further. The three of them would approach from a service entrance, which necessitated them getting access to said entrance. Victoria pointed out that several guards were going off rotation for a couple of days and likely wouldn't notice a badge missing. Casey volunteered herself and the Dennis for this task.

 

Joseph promised to memorize the floorplan of the building and organize transportation that would easily accommodate Elijah. He also pointed out that they'd need to go somewhere after it all and offered to secure their 'safe house' as he called it. Having slowly warmed to the thought of breaking his father out the man now seemed far too excited with the whole idea of everything.

 

The sandwiches were consumed throughout this and Victoria had just stood up to presumably fetch more snacks for them when Joseph said, "Oh, by the way Victoria, I heard back from that guy about that thing? The sensor?" He reached into his bag and pulled out several pages that had been stapled together. Dennis would have thought nothing of it if not for the fact that Victoria froze in a most dramatic fashion. The way she looked back with wide eyes was a strong indication that something of interest was being discussed.

 

Dennis reached for the pages and the woman seemed to almost yelp as she darted forward and snatched them away before he could. Both Casey and Joseph now looked at her in surprise. Victoria held the pages against her chest and stepped back towards the kitchen. "Thanks. Thank you, Joseph," she nodded and took another step back.

 

"Is that about the mind reading device?" Casey asked, looking over to Joseph. She didn't seem to care much when he explained it was for some sort of vascular monitor. "Why are are you being weird about the paper, Victoria?" she asked, confused but also a little suspicious. The girl glanced over to Dennis who had remained quite still during the exchange. "I mean, it's about Them, isn't it? I don't see why it'd be weird-"

 

"I'm going to go make some more sandwiches," Victoria said in a hurry and disappeared into the kitchen. Joseph just snorted and rolled his eyes but Casey turned to look at Dennis with an assessing glance. He carefully raised an eyebrow, burning with curiosity but also knowing she wouldn't appreciate him interrogating the woman. 

 

"She's got a file on you," Casey said suddenly, a grin curling her lips in a rather devastating way. Dennis blinked, his composure immediately evaporating in the face of Casey's suddenly playful tone. 

 

"Casey, don't," Joseph muttered, not looking up from his screen. "If she doesn't want them to know..." He frowned as he spoke and then did look up. "Though, I mean, she smuggled in several already via her books I think. Really, there's nothing in there that's worth..." he shook his head and looked back to his screen. "If she doesn't want to share her entire research, that's up to her." The statement would likely have irritated Dennis if he wasn't absolutely distracted by Casey's continued grin. He felt pinned in place by her gaze and felt his heart leap when she licked her lips. Turning, she glanced over her shoulder to the shelf. Looking back, she clearly mouthed 'Distract Him' and Dennis felt panicked. He was a watcher, an analyzer, maybe the muscle, but certainly not someone who threw themselves into the sort of situations where you talked. She clearly was waiting for him to do something though, so he did.

 

Moving to stand on the other side of Joseph, he forced himself to peer at the screen as if he was interested or could make sense of anything there. When the man looked over at him, he was turned clear away from Casey. "If you worked for the company," Dennis said, thinking fast, "what did your records show the last time we escaped?" The man looked stricken in response to what Dennis had assumed was an innocent enough question. 

 

"I- I- didn't see the footage," he whispered but the way he said it suggested there was some sort of footage out there to see and Dennis suddenly regretted his choice of distraction. "But some of the guys- the- it-" The man cleared his throat again. "It was a big deal in the office because there was data corruption and weird system behavior that we couldn't explain, even with the logs. No one really knows how it happened. I did get called in," Joseph's gaze grew distant, recalling some memory. "Because of my dad. They were doing a company wide audit but thankfully I had a solid alibi although, Jesus, there's no way I could have pulled something like that off. Even if I wanted to." Shaking his head, he turned back to his machine. "Like I said, that was some serious pro work and I can't begin to guess how much it cost."

 

Feeling about as ill as Joseph looked, Dennis glanced up and saw Casey sitting at the table, hands daintily clasped and looking an exaggerated version of innocence. When Victoria returned with another tray and no papers, the conversation returned to the plan though there was very little left to discuss.

 

* * *

 

Dennis stopped her when they reached the car. With his hand resting on the door, he looked over to her with a slight frown. "What did you do?" he asked. It was a reasonable question, one Casey had been expecting, but one she felt uneasy answering.

 

Casey ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "I took the folder. I don't know why she was being weird about it, you should know. And I realize that if I'm really going to do this... this," she waved her hand in a vague and all encompassing gesture, "life... I maybe should know a lot more." She climbed into the car. Dennis stood there a while before he eventually pulled open the driver's door.

 

It was Jade who settled behind the wheel and Casey appreciated that she made no remark about the folder. It was too much to hope however that it go entirely uncommented upon and about five minutes later it was clearly Patricia's voice that asked "But why on earth would you steal it though?" Jade frowned slightly and glanced over at Casey.

 

"Not while we're driving," Jade muttered and shook her head, shutting down the conversation at least for a while longer.

 

When they reached the motel they were staying, Patricia waited just long enough for Jade to park before making a bother of herself. Casey carefully stepped around her as she tried to move towards their rooms but Patricia again put herself directly in front of the girl. "I think you need to explain yourself right now," she said in a cool voice, "And then we are going back to Victoria's to return whatever it is of hers you took." With a dramatic eye roll Casey stepped around her a second time. With an angry huff, Patricia reached out to grab Casey's arm but the girl quickly twisted and somehow managed to stepped out of her reach. 

 

There was a moment where the two of them just stared at each other, perhaps both a little shocked by the other's action, before they both leapt forward. Casey raced towards her room, fumbling with the key card as Patricia followed only a step behind. It of course ended as was expected, Patricia gripping Casey's arm and spinning her around before she could escape into her room. She pushed the girl against the door and stepped in close but froze as she felt Casey's handgun make itself known between them.

 

"So what?" Patricia breathed, eyes flicking over Casey's face. "You're going to shoot us? Again?"

 

"Let. Go," was all Casey replied with and Patricia did, releasing her arm but not stepping back. Her gaze traveled up and down Casey. 

 

"Now there's no need to be dramatic," Patricia almost whispered, speaking quietly and calmly as if to a frightened animal. "I'm asking a very reasonable question." With a slow but deliberate motion she plucked the key card the girl had only just managed to pull from a pocket. "Why don't we talk about this like two reasonable people." The door beeped loudly as she unlocked it and, careful not to touch the girl, reached forward to open it a fraction. 

 

Casey didn't appreciate Patricia's tone but she also didn't appreciate the way her heart was racing a little too fast. Memories of her uncle chasing her down and of being stalked by the Beast with the same face as the one far too close to her just now mixed and bled together. The long since healed wound on her calf throbbed and Casey gripped the gun a little more firmly.

 

"Do you think you heal as fast as the Beast does?" Casey whispered, raising the weapon to press it against Patricia's neck. Her eyes widened and she didn't immediately respond. "I think we'd need to be two reasonable people to have a reasonable conversation, Patricia, and somehow I don't think you're very reasonable."

 

"Says the girl with the gun to my throat," Patricia murmured, clearly trying to maintain her composure. Her gaze flicked down and then back up again. "All this in response to stealing something of Victoria's? My, you must be feeling quite guilty." With a calm motion, she twisted her head and looked up and down the row of motel doors. "If you insist on behaving this way, child, could we at least do so in the privacy of your room? Someone might notice."

 

Swallowing thickly, Casey was forced to acknowledge how bad drawing attention the night before their planned attack would be. Not really lowering the weapon, she backed into her room. She considered slamming the door in Patricia's face but realized such an action was probably impossible given their difference in size. "You're the one who chased me to my fucking door," she said, eyes narrowing as Patricia carefully closed it behind herself.

 

Pausing, Patricia tipped her head slightly to the side and smiled ever so faintly. "True. I apologize. Instinct and all that." With a shake of her head she looked again at Casey with a hard glare. "If you'd just answer my question rather than running away like a misbehaving child-"

 

"Don't talk to me like that!" Casey shouted, rage flowing through her. "You act like a know it all but you've no idea what you're talking about." She drew in a shaky breath and tucked the gun back into its holster. "Don't ever do that again, ok?" When she ran a hand through her hair she was mildly ashamed that it trembled. Patricia pursed her lips but thankfully remained silent. Trying to calm herself, Casey paced back and forth a couple times in the narrow space available in the room before she reached back and drew out the folder she'd tucked into the back of her jeans, hidden till now by one of her many layers of shirts. With a glare at Patricia, she tossed the it onto the bed.

 

"I took it because she doesn't need it any more," Casey said and wrapped her arms around herself. "Because it was my last chance too. After tomorrow we're gone. All of us- you, me, this Mr. Glass guy. We're out of Victoria's life. For real this time." Patricia looked a little stunned by this and she moved towards the bed, reaching for the folder. Casey collapsed onto the desk chair and watched her as she carefully sat and began flipping through the pages. "You know that, right?"

 

Rather than response, Patricia slowly paged through the sheets and then paused. "Did Joseph read these documents?" she asked, gaze flicking up to stare at Casey.

 

"Yeah, I mean, he came over to dinner at least once a week and they'd talk about stuff." Casey frowned, uneasy with the fact Patricia hadn't acknowledged her point. "You do realize-"

 

"I don't think all of these were meant for public consumption," Patricia said carefully, drawing a page from the folder and holding it up as she clearly read something from it. "'Gods grant us the confidence of a mediocre white cishet man.' This is Victoria's handwriting, is it not?" Casey leaned in and looked with wide eyes at the neatly scribbled note in the margin of one of the papers. She reached out and took the page from Patricia, scanning what she realized was some paper beyond her her comprehension dealing with something called kinesiology.

 

"Hmmm," Patricia hummed. When Casey looked up she was holding another page. "'Is her attachment related to the triggering incident or her youth?' Who do you think that might be about? Looks like this paper on the  anterior cingulate cortex really inspired quite a number of ideas. 'Inability to process his death = damaged Brodmann 25?'" Patricia looked over the page to her and arched an eyebrow. "Does Victoria not know what happened to your uncle?"

 

Reaching out again, Casey snatched the second paper from Patricia's fingers and glared at her. "I- I don't want to talk about my uncle. With you, with her, with anyone. I want to talk about-" Patricia inhaled sharply and quickly flipped the folder closed. When she didn't immediately say anything, Casey asked, "What?" 

 

"You really shouldn't have taken this," Patricia said in a strangled voice. "You will return it to Victoria and apologize for-"

 

"Patricia!" Casey shouted, leaning forward and gripping the armrests of the chair to combat her urge to strangle someone. "You're missing the point. Victoria doesn't need any of this any more. Her involvement in all this, her involvement with us, it needs to end. After tomorrow she will no doubt be watched even more closely and we need to keep as far away from her as possible."

 

"You heartless thing," Patricia gasped, bring a hand to her throat and looking quite taken aback. "We can't just abandon her."

 

"We have to. And it's not abandoning, it's leaving her in peace. If everything goes according to plan, she'll look innocent but we have to stay away. That's the price we're paying for involving her with this, Patricia. What do you think is going to happen after tomorrow?" It frustrated Casey to have to explain this to her. Dennis, she was certain, would understand immediately. Dennis probably had already jumped to these conclusions. "Instead of one escaped criminal patient there's going to be two, maybe three of you. There's going to be three to four of us with weird powers.  That's going to draw a lot of attention. What, did you think you'd keep breaking into her apartment to brush her hair?"

 

Narrowing her eyes, Patricia gave Casey a hateful glare. Sliding off the bed, she stalked across the room towards the girl, who quickly scrambled to her feet as well. "I want to talk to Dennis," Casey said in a hurry, not liking Patricia's look.

 

"It doesn't work that way, child," she said in that horribly aloof way of hers. Patricia collected the two pages from Casey and tucked them into the folder. "I understand that Victoria's involvement must remain a secret to allow her to have anything resembling a normal life. We certainly won't be careless. But if you think we're just going waltz away and not look back," she smiled, "you are greatly mistaken."

 

Before she had a chance to react, Patricia turned and moved towards the door. Pausing as she opened it, she looked back and smiled once more. "We've a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Best to get a good night's rest." And with that, she stepped out of the room. Casey heard the beep of the door next door as she sat numbly in the chair. It was only then that she realized Patricia had taken the folder with her and short of making quite the scene, she doubted she'd be able to get it back any time soon.

 

Moving to the bed, she let herself fall onto it with a loud groan.

 

* * *

 

"I can't believe it!" the man in front of her snapped. "Jerry, get Dr. Staple on the phone right now. Tell her we've got a crazy for her to come collect." He just glared at Victoria through the plastic window and she relaxed slightly. Her greatest concern had been that he'd just shoo her away without bothering the doctor.

 

Sure enough, the doctor was peering at her through the grate in under five minutes. The guards finished unlocking the door and Victoria was lead down the hall to a room she'd never been in before but had seen the doctor disappear into on more than one occasion. There were several individuals in the room who looked up in confusion when the doctor entered and began to shoo them out. Victoria stood by mutely as they filed out past her, one of them in particular shooting her a confused stare. This wasn't exactly how Victoria planned on distracting everyone but things still seemed to be going according to plan.

 

There was a cruel glint in Dr Staple's eye when she smiled and gestured with a sweeping hand for Victoria to take a seat. "Please," the doctor said with a wave of her hand. Victoria looked around and selected one of the chairs at random to settle on. Choosing a chair not far from her, the doctor crossed her legs and placed her notebook upon her knee. She made another sweeping gesture with the hand that held her pencil. "So... what exactly is it you wanted to talk about? It's so rare for you to come by outside of visiting hours."

 

"I- I have information. About patient Crumb's plan," Victoria said, drawing a deep breath and steeling herself. With great effort, she tried to project an aura of calm. Unfortunately Dr. Staple's laugh quickly toppled it and left her blinking in surprise.

 

"Why are you laughing?" Victoria asked, uneasy and unprepared for that particular response. None of the possible scenarios she'd run through had covered Dr Staple laughing at her, at least not this early in the conversation. "I assure you, I have details you will find very interesting. And valuable."

 

Toying with a pen, the doctor simply smirked at her for an uncomfortable moment before nodding. "Yes, please. Please tell me all about the Horde's plan, Victoria." She seemed to snort a little and clicked the pen as she made an exaggerated motion to indicate she was ready to take notes.

 

"They're going to break into the facility. Casey is working with him, they have the ability to scramble the security system," Victoria recited carefully, watching as the woman made no move write a single thing down. Licking her lips, she hurried on. "They're going to strike soon. Very soon. They have already acquired access to the building. Mr. Glass has been made aware of the situation and they expect-" Another laugh from the doctor cut her off.

 

"I'm really quite impressed, Victoria," the woman said, that cruel smile still in place. "For some reason I thought you'd be a much worse liar than this."

 

Blinking rapidly, Victoria began to worry that this wasn't going to work out at all how she expected it to. "I'm not lying. You- you told the police that I knew more. And- and you were right. I do. I know everything, and I'm here to tell you all the details." She nodded to herself, wrapped in the security of truth and struggling to remain confident that this was going to work out. The snort of derision that the doctor made again undermined her efforts.

 

"Come off it," the woman snapped, leaning forward suddenly and baring her teeth. "I know-" There was a pause and she leaned back just as suddenly. Her gaze flicked up towards a camera perched in the corner of the room and then to one of the computers lining the desks. Ignoring Victoria for a moment, she logged into a machine and tapped rapidly at the keyboard and navigated some system that Victoria couldn't see from where she sat. With a final click, the woman turned back to her, smile resuming. "I know you have absolutely no idea what's going on. But please, keep making up stories. They're quite entertaining."

 

Victoria licked her lips again, nervously glancing back up to the camera the doctor had just looked at. There was no light or indicator visible but she suddenly had a very bad feeling. "What do you mean? You told the police-"

 

"Because you're a fucking bitch," the woman snapped, rising to her feet abruptly. Victoria leaned back so quickly in her chair it actually rolled a couple inches away from the doctor. "I knew that they'd apply pressure to get you to talk. Didn't realize they'd be able to go so far as to get you fired but I'm not surprised. This new security team the hospital has been working with is quite top notch." As she spoke, the doctor moved to a cabinet standing against the wall. Pulling a key from a pocket, she unlocked it and reached inside. Victoria was surprised to see one of her volumes gripped in the woman's hand when the doctor turned back to her. She was even more surprised when it was flung at her. 

 

The volume went wide by a couple feet and landed with a painful thump, face down and open, pages crumpled below its own weight. Aghast at the treatment of it, Victoria leapt out of her chair to retrieve the book and felt a rather painful blow a volume struck her on the back. 

 

"You fucking cunt!" the doctor yelled at her, continuing to hurl book after book at the woman. "This whole time! You were smuggling in my papers, Ben's papers, Kennith's papers! Kennith's!" She shrieked the name, fists clenching as she apparently ran out of books. "The man is a crackpot, has no idea what he's talking about! How dare you even suggest that my work is on the same level as his!"

 

Heart racing, Victoria crouched on the floor as she struggled to gather up all the books she'd brought to the hospital. Things were happening slightly out of order but Victoria struggled to adapt the plan. At the very least, she certainly had the woman's attention. "I- I know everything!" Victoria said, not meaning much by it, mostly hoping to provoke the doctor into talking more. 

 

"You know NOTHING!" the doctor shouted, stepping towards her. Victoria let her armful of books tumble to the floor and gripped the largest volume in her hands in fright. Frantically she wondered if she could use it to strike the doctor if the woman got too close.

 

"I have been researching this for years. YEARS. Yes, so you found some bread crumbs. What of it. What did you honestly think to achieve by sharing them with my patients. With the press??" She stepped forward again and Victoria scooted back a foot, clutching the book to her chest. "You sent them to the press, didn't you?! You tried to undermine me, tried to get my project cancelled!" Victoria shook her head frantically, honestly surprised by the false accusation. While she had known she'd be able to occupy the doctor for a period of time discussing her research this not how she thought it would go. The rage the woman displayed seemed almost unhinged and Victoria was painfully aware that she'd likely disabled some sort of monitor or surveillance before letting her feelings be known. There was another step and a finger was raised, "You meddling, wretched woman!"

 

When the doctor kicked at her, Victoria cried out in surprise but was able pull her leg back in time. She quickly scrambled to her feet and looked around. Surely they'd had enough time now for the breakout, she told herself. Certainly it'd be safe if she tried to leave now. Looking at the doctor, she wondered if would be safe to stay.

 

"You're pathetic," the doctor spit at her. "Your efforts at undermining me, your efforts at understanding all this, your obsession with that alter. Pathetic!" Now she did spit, literally, missing the woman but maring the cover of one of the many books at her feet.

 

The cruelty of the words rendered Victoria mute for a moment. To have her research so derided, her efforts dismissed, and her loyalty once again mocked were equally breathtaking in their offensiveness. "What- what do you mean, I don't understand?" She gasped, tackling the cruelest of the accusations.

 

Dr Staple sneered at her. "You don't understand what they are. Our research methodologies have come a long way since," she waved a hand at the blue volume from several months ago that contained papers involving hypothetical invasive surgeries to better read subcutaneous bioelectrical signals. "These... 'patients'," she said, her voice twisting the word and making it sound almost like a euphemism, "are unlike anyone or anything studied by the medical community so far."

 

Chin lifting, Victoria couldn't help but make a dismissive noise. "I believe I'd quite clued into that, as the books indicated," she said, offended at the suggestion her research hadn't gotten to the heart of it.

 

"They're not even human!" The doctor shouted and Victoria raised her eyebrows in surprise. 

 

"What- surely- what nonsense," Victoria stuttered.

 

"We've sequenced their DNA, there's irregular segments in common," the doctor said, clearly falling prey to every academic's weakness of defending their own pet theories. "Analysis suggests their production of various enzymes and hormones, common across my patients and never before observed in the population at large, provides unique-"

 

"Bah!" Victoria interjected, angry at the woman for having frightened her but now feeling much more comfortable on the familiar ground of debating scientific theories. "There are irregularities and shared sequences across large segments of the population. I hardly think three patients with a length of some random chromosome in common is hardly grounds to claim... What? Some sort of next stage of evolution?" Now it was her turn to laugh dismissively. "What sort of sample size is three to make such claims? No wonder your papers are such a joke, you're really quite a terrible-" The doctor's open palm struck her across the face, bringing her taunting to an abrupt halt. Stumbling back a step, Victoria raised a hand to her stinging cheek and stared at the doctor with wide eyes.

 

In the silence that hung between them the soft beep and click of the door unlocking was clearly audible. Both women turned towards the door and watched as the frightened lab technician stumbled into the room.

 

"The- he- its-" they wheezed, so overwhelmed that they could barely speak. Victoria tensed. "They're here."

 

The doctor wrinkled her brow in confusion. "Who's here?" She asked, once again proving to be quite slow at picking up what was going on. "Are Jacobson and Smith here? I told Stan not to call them!"

 

The technician had closed the door behind them at this point and leaned against it, gasping and clutching at their chest. Victoria began to be concerned for their well being, perhaps they were having a heart attack? It wasn't, in her opinion, an unreasonable response.

 

"Patient Crumb," they whispered and the doctor immediately sprang into action. Lunging for the computer next to her, she began to frantically work and paid no mind to Victoria as she stepped close to look over the woman's shoulder. A series of little windows popped up on the screen but all were black. "Where are the feeds??" The woman gasped. She spun in her chair, staring at the individual who had slid down to sit on the floor by now, arms wrapped around themselves and trembling. The technician just shook their head. With an angry huff, the doctor stood up.

 

"I told you they were planning something," Victoria muttered under her breath and was shocked beyond belief when she felt the doctors strike her across the face a second time. It'd been an open handed slap, stinging more than dealing any actual harm, but it still seemed beyond belief. The doctor clearly didn't handle stress well.

 

Dr Staple had already turned away and pulled her phone out. She glared at Victoria as she spoke into it. "Johnson we- yes, good. Excellent," there was pause and the doctor's eyes flicked back and forth across the blank monitor. "I see. No, nothing yet." Victoria began to feel quite uneasy. When the black squares on the screen did eventually flicker to life, displaying the hallways and various rooms, the feeling evolved into an urge to be ill.

 

* * *

 

The three of them sat in the van, the summer sunset providing a happy rosy glow across the sky. Joseph's eyes continued to jump over the screen and he gripped the phone in this hand, ready to signal to Victoria the moment the system went down. 

 

Casey nervously fidgeting with the ski mask she held while Dennis calmly sat in the driver's seat, hands resting on the wheel as the car idled. He'd scoffed at the suggestion of a mask for himself, pointing out that everyone was quite familiar with him and they gained nothing by pretending anyone else was behind this. What he had done in preparation however was carefully remove his shoes and socks as both Casey and Joseph watched. Neither had asked about it and he seemed almost embarrassed as he tucked them in the back of the van where duffle bags with changes of clothes for everyone waited. 

 

Casey was just about to ask for a third time how much longer it would be when Joseph jerked in his seat. "Shit, it's- it's happening. It's down." Dennis was out the door and moving towards the building before Casey had a chance to react. Joseph scrambled to pull his ski mask down and Casey did so as she rolled out of the still idling car. 

 

Thankfully Dennis waited at the door for her, badging them in when Casey gave the all clear nod. Joseph reached the door a second later and ducked through under Dennis's disapproving stare. Knowing that every second counted they raced up the steps as fast as they could, Casey straining to look ahead of them and checking the other side of every door they passed. 

 

Reaching their floor, Dennis and Joseph paused, the younger man panting slightly, as Casey pressed against the door and strained to see as far as possible. Stepping back she shook her head. "There's someone there," she whispered. "A couple feet down the hall," she gestured to where they stood though neither of the other two could see through the wall.  She and Dennis exchanged a glance. They'd talked about this but she felt the grip of fear and uncertainty wrap around her heart when faced with the reality of it. Dennis just stepped forward and crouched before the door. Ansel didn't remove his glasses, just pushed them up onto his forehead as he pulled out the kit. 

 

"Wait, what are we going to do about the person?" Joseph asked frantically, looking at Casey. She just shook her head and held a finger to her lips. Ansel worked quickly and quietly but it still felt like forever, especially in the masked face of Joseph's rising panic. 

 

Knocking his glasses back down, Dennis glanced up to Casey where he crouched. The person didn't look like a guard, but they continued to stand in the hallway and she nodded, pointing again to where they stood. 

 

When Dennis rushed through the door, Casey reached out and gripped Joseph's sleeve, holding him place. After a count of three she followed Dennis into the hallway.

 

Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The individual in Dennis's grip still struggled silently against the arm wrapped around his neck and she appreciated that while he wasn't able to breath, the man was still alive. Joseph made his own strangled noise at the sight and she again gripped his arm, turning to glare at him.

 

The man in Dennis's arms hadn't fully stopped moving yet when Casey gasped, "There's someone coming. That door!" She looked around frantically and saw no one else nearby. They just need to 'handle' this last person and then it was all clear.

 

The individual in Dennis's arms went limp just in time and he dropped them as a door a couple feet away opened. Dennis was on them before they had a chance to make a sound and Casey caught the door, easing it closed again with a gentle click.  She turned back just in time for everything to go wrong. Rather than claw ineffectively at Dennis's arm like the first technician had, this man's hand had shoved into his pocket and he must have activated something because there was a sudden series of bright lights. 

 

Both Dennis and the technician fell to the ground and even Casey seemed to stumble. Denis arched his back and gasped for air as the technician scrambled away. Casey felt the lead weight feeling of fear settle in her gut when she unmistakably heard Barry cry out "No!" There was the sound of stomping feet and faster than she expected as a second burst of light filled the room. Joseph gasped and stepped back, apparently catching quite an eyeful. Casey felt stunned as well, light flooding her senses a second time. Knowing that it was coming didn't help lesson the shock, if anything she'd unconsciously been straining harder to detect everything.

 

Someone else cried out and there was a third flash. By then the guards had filled the hallway, along with a number of technicians and orderlies. Given the lack of gunshots, everyone seemed more inclined to just gather and gawk. As a guard roughly grabbed ahold of her, Casey recalled that this was in fact a mental hospital.

 

Several of the guards pulled out their phones and a technician eventually went off to inform Dr. Staple of what was happening. Dennis remained unconscious through it all.

 

* * *

 

Victoria felt herself beginning to hyperventilate. The fact this farce could go poorly had always been a probability. A high probability, if she was being honest. Unfortunately knowing it was possible was entirely different than experiencing the cold, frightening reality of it.

 

She had been dragged more than escorted to the portion of the hallway that contained the collapsed Dennis. The man who held her roughly passed her off to another man who fixed her upper arm in an equally iron grip. Her two friends appeared to be also detained in a similar manner. Joseph stood with his head hung low and seemed to tremble occasionally, it wouldn't have surprised Victoria to know he was weeping. She felt quite close to the edge of tears herself though her fright was laced through with enough of a sense of unreality that she maintained some illusion of control. Unlike the other two, Casey stood tall and alert though she was dwarfed by the man who held her arm.

 

Dr Staple seemed unable to help herself as she slowly approached the collapsed form of Dennis. The man who had escorted them from the office suddenly pulled his phone from his coat and appeared to be answering a call. He was not someone Victoria had seen at the hospital before and they'd waited in that strange lab till he'd arrived. The doctor had taken the time to point out exactly where the Beast had murdered the intern Emily during the last breakout. The man took a couple paces away as the doctor hesitated a moment, looking around. "How many doses has he received?" Dr Staple asked.

 

"T-three," a frightened technician stuttered. The young woman who spoke shuddered and turned towards one of her co-workers, a slightly older man who wrapped a protective arm around her. "He- he almost ate Ben." 

 

The doctor pursed her lips and stared at the man who comforted the woman. "Oh my," she said, dryly. "That would have been such a shame." The man's head jerked up and he stared at the doctor in anger. "I hope neither of you object to perhaps a couple more rounds, above the suggested dosage?" The doctors tone was mocking though Victoria didn't understand why. Both technicians shook their head and the doctor crouched down next to Dennis. Reaching into her pocket, she paused and Victoria was flinching as a series of bright lights flashed. When the stars had faded from her eyes, Victoria saw the doctor still by Dennis's side.

 

"Well well well, patient Crumb, you've come back to me," she murmured. Her hand reached out, hesitated a moment, and then pressed to his neck to presumably check his pulse. Nodding to herself, her hand fluttered briefly above him and then moved to his face. With a thumb she lifted an eyelid and leaned forward.

 

"Doctor, I don't think-" the female technician began to say when her companion hushed her. 

 

"If she's dumb enough to get herself killed," Victoria could hear the man mutter, "then leave her to it."

 

Fortunately or not, Dennis didn't respond. The doctor retrieved the glasses resting on his face and tucked them into her pocket. "I assume it was Dennis who broke in, yes?" She looked around the group and no one responded. "Who were the other two the light induced?"

 

"It, ah, wasn't clear," One of the other technicians who hadn't spoken till now said. "They both sounded masculine. We think."

 

Dr Staple nodded and looked down at the man below her. "I always knew you'd return," she said, seemingly to herself. Turning to the three held by the guards she repeated herself. "I knew he'd come back. The sort of vanity and pride demonstrated by the Horde was bound to drive them towards revenge." Standing up, she brushed her hands on her pants and looked around. With a jerk of her head, she nodded to several bulky devices that perched up where wall met ceiling. "We had the lights installed throughout the ward for this very purpose the week he got out."

 

Victoria was shaken by the information while Casey paled and from the doctor's look that was no doubt her intention. At no point had Victoria found any hint of the lights' installation during her research. Her failure and the realization of how doomed their planning had been from the start caused her to hang her head in shame. She heard the doctor start to speak, no doubt fully intending to gloat, when she was interrupted by the tall man in the suit. 

 

"Everyone who's not a Blacktree employee out of the fucking hallway," The man glared around the group, phone held to his chest and still apparently in the middle a call. "In fact, out of the ward. Go wait down in the hospital lobby till we call you."

 

When the doctor didn't move the man stepped towards her and with his free hand gripped her elbow. "That includes you too, doctor," he hissed. 

 

"What?" Dr Staple said, looking surprised and somewhat pained by the hold on her arm.

 

"Don't play dumb. We reviewed the footage. We know you disabled some of the monitoring before the crash." The grip on her arm tightened and the woman visibly flinched as the blood drained from her face. "We'll talk about this later," he growled as she opened her mouth. With a rough shove he sent her stumbling towards the elevator with the rest of her staff. He raised the phone back to his ear and turned away, continuing to speak to someone.

 

Victoria was in a daze at this point, her hyperventilation having run its course and not actually being that sustainable. Now she looked about light headed, lost as to what to do next, surrounded by guards as they were. The man who still held her arm did so firmly and no doubt played an important role in her not just toppling over though she'd not go so far as to thank him. The look he periodically gave her as he continuously scanned the room was quite unfriendly.

 

Once the hallway had been cleared, several of the guards following the staff to the elevators to ensure their compliance, a moment of silence fell over them all. It seemed as if they all waited a breath in the thought that Dennis or someone would wake up again but it was not to be. Looking around, the man who appeared to be in charge lowered his phone again as snapped his fingers. "Check 'em," he said before returning to his call and one of the lesser armed goons of the group stepped forward. 

 

Approaching the collapsed form of Dennis, the man crouched down and pulled out a slim device from an inner coat pocket. Fidgeting with it for a second, he appeared to swap out some piece of it before suddenly jamming it into Dennis arm. Holding it there for a moment, there was a slight beep and a large indicator light blinked green.

 

"Glad to know it works," the man holding Victoria muttered under his breath. 

 

"Fucking paid enough for it," the man with the device replied with as he stood and approached Joseph. Swapping out what Victoria could now see was some sort of needle, he jabbed it into Joseph's arm and both Casey and Victoria flinched along with him. The device sat for a moment and then blinked red.

 

Victoria was next and she stared at the thing in dread as it was brought towards her. Her gaze jumped to Casey's as she felt the painful stab of a ridiculously large need into the meat of her arm muscle. Gasping with pain, she looked down at the device as it again flashed red. Casey seemed to slump, defeated, in the arms of the guard who held her. The man cursed quietly and struggled a moment to readjust his grip on her in order to keep her on her feet.

 

Victoria couldn't help but hold her breath as the needle was shoved into Casey's arm. The moment it took for the light to flicker on felt like an eternity but was in fact no longer than a second or two. As expected, it flashed green and everyone froze. "Yes, the target has been secured," the suited man spoke into his phone, turning back to the group. His eyes widened when he saw the green light but his voice was calm as he continued to speak. "And yes, we've got a second." His eyes flicked to Victoria as the device was yanked from Casey's arm. "No, it's the other one," he said and listened for a moment before nodding and hanging up. He approached Casey, looking her up and down. Drawing his gun, he jerked his head at the man holding Victoria's arm. "He said no witnesses."

 

"What?" Victoria asked at the same time Casey started to move. With a sudden upward thrust and twist, she managed to wrench one of her arms free. The younger woman lunged forward, gripping the man's gun and twisting. It wasn't even clear exactly how she did it but with two quick motions she'd wrestled the gun free from his grasp and had it pointed straight at his head.

 

"What?" Victoria asked again, more frantic. She started to turn towards the man holding her when a gun went off. He'd just started to pull his own weapon when there was another shot and he stumbled back, the lower half of his face seeming to convert into a disaster in the blink of an eye. Drenched with blood and freed from the dead man's hold, Victoria opted to quickly scramble back into a corner rather than scream. There was more rapid shots of gun fire, deafeningly loud. From where she crouched, she could no longer see Casey. She could see at least one of the other guards catch a bullet to the head and topple back alarmingly close to her.

 

The fire fight probably lasted only three seconds longer but Victoria continued to shake even after the shots stopped. There was another brief burst of gunfire followed by the tinkling as glass as Casey removed further threat of the lights before appearing at her side. She gripped Victoria's arm, eyes wide. 

 

"More people will be coming!" Joseph said, frantically. The question of what to do wasn't voiced but both women stared at each other with in shared dread. They both turned to survey the room.

 

"I'll guard the door," Casey said as Victoria ran over to where Dennis had fallen. 

 

Dropping to her knees next to him, she gripped his shoulders. "Dennis! Dennis! Patricia!" She shook with all her might before drawing back and delivering a swift slap. "Orwell! Someone! Anyone! You need to get up! We need to move!" She curled her fingers in his collar and shook again before his eyes snapped open. Pupils dialated to the extreme, he drew in a long, sharp breath.

 

Realizing the Beast lay in front of her, Victoria started to scramble backwards. She'd just turned to dash away when she felt an iron grip on her ankle. She wordlessly cried out as it turned into a sharp tug, knocking her flat. With a long pull, the Beast dragged her back to him. She was wildly struggling to grab onto anything to anchor herself when Casey shouted, "Stop!" and to the immense surprise of more than one person in the room, the Beast did.

 

With an almost inhuman twist to his head, the Beast looked towards Casey. "She's Impure." He shook himself suddenly and hissed, lowering his head for a moment before raising it again to stare at her.

 

"Stop it! I don't care!" Casey commanded, standing firm and glaring. "Right now there's more important things! There are greater threats here. Threats to you and I and Kevin and any of the other Pure you'll find. Let. Her. Go." And with that, to the continued immense surprise of many, the Beast did. Which was just about when the next four guards rounded the corner. Victoria retreated again to her corner, noting that Joseph too was crouching far from the violence. It was good to know she wasn't the only sane person here.

 

Between Casey, who cycled through the guns of the guards she'd already picked off, and the Beast who threw himself into the mess, the situation was quickly dealt with and the two of them took off down the hall. Joseph didn't hesitate for long before he too took off after them but Victoria could only slump against the wall. She'd no part to play in this and knew now she just had to wait here till the others returned.

 

With a rather shell shocked expression, she surveyed the carnage of the hallway she'd been left alone in. One of the guards who'd been mauled by the Beast twitched on the floor, still alive enough to bleed and thrash.

 

* * *

 

The broken were more evolved and the fact had never before been demonstrated so well. The Beast felt his blood sing as he had torn through the guards who stood in their way. Though his head throbbed in pain, he shook it off, his grip on the wall only occasionally slipping. The coordoors rang with Casey's carefully fired shots. She alternated between clearing out nearly every light bank they came across and effectively driving the guards to cover which allowed the Beast time to close in.  Currently he clung to the wall, bent halfway around a corner.

 

He knew they were there for a purpose. What exactly that purpose might be was a little hazy, distant perhaps. Again his head throbbed with pain. The knowledge was also there in the back of his mind that he could call on one of the many other voices for help, though that didn't interest him at all. What did interest him was the girl. She crouched on the other side of the hallway, firing, and she interested him quite a bit. She smelled nice and was Pure. And she at least seemed to know what they were doing while also being an unnaturally good shot.

 

When the moment came, he surged down the corridor. Leaping from his wall, he struck one of the guards and they tumbled together into the individual behind him. The third went down thanks to the girl. It didn't take long to dispatch the other two and he was well around the corner before he realized the girl wasn't with him. Backtracking, he found her and a man fumbling with one for the doors he'd passed.  Snarling, he lunged for the back of the man's head when Casey whipped around and stuck the gun in his face.

 

"Don't. Don't you dare touch him," she shouted at him. With a tug on this other man's shirt and some shuffling steps, she worked them both back several steps. She jerked her head towards the door. "You said it wouldn't be locked but guess what, it is. Can you open it?"

 

The Beast twisted his head towards the door and rumbled low in his chest. He didn't exactly know why he'd want to open the door but he didn't doubt that he could. He snaked back to her, and scowled as another pulse of pain throbbed behind his eyes. She continued to stare aggressively at him, gun now held even more steady in both hands. It wasn't pointed directly at him but it certainly wasn't pointed towards the ground. They both knew her bullets wouldn't stop him, but he couldn't help but wonder if she might do better than the others so far. Turning back to the door he cocked his head at it. Yes, he did remember wanting to get through that door. Anyway, perhaps it would impress her if he removed it. 

 

And so he did. 

 

"Jesus," the man behind him breathed as the Beast stepped into the room. In there sat a single occupant. Yes, he remembered this man. The broken one.

 

* * *

 

For all that her heart beat tried to deafen her, there wasn't a tremor to her hands. The gun jumped twice more in her grip and she knew that it was empty. And who was she kidding. It wasn't her heartbeat that nearly made her ears bleed but rather the bark of each shot she or the guards had fired. Up to this point she'd only taken her ear protection off twice at the range while there'd been active fire, and no one had been shooting as close as her own arm's reach those times.

 

Joseph had the good sense to hang back and she'd wish he was even further away. She knew she should wish that she was far away as well... but she didn't. After all those talks with Hedwig and Dennis. After all the time at the range and then even at home with just a dart thrown at a board in her room. Literally shots in the dark... She still couldn't believe it was happening. That she could just... feel it.  With a click, she finished reloading. She felt it and yet... didn't feel it. The surge of excitement at the enormity of her ability temporarily eclipsed the toll it took.

 

Overcome for a second with the recklessness of youth and new found power, Casey flung her arm out into the hall and squeeze off two shots before pulling back. Through the ringing in her ears she could just barely register that there was a clatter followed a heavy thump. She'd shot one of them. Somehow. Just as she knew she would.

 

The Beast surged past her, above, clinging to the ceiling and then there was screaming.  Casey squeezed her eyes shut and counted to four. Okay, she did wish she was far away from the Beast. The fact that he seemed to listen to her frightened her almost as much as the idea that he wouldn't. But Casey knew how to deal with savage beasts. Lots of her uncle's hunting buddies had brought hounds with them on their trips and over to their house. Some well behaved and some less so. Just like her uncle's hunting buddies. With a shake of her head, she forced herself around the corner and after the Beast.

 

Again, he'd overshot their destination and was nowhere to be seen in the hall. She rushed up to their second door only to stumble away from it in surprise. David Dunn's face was pressed up against the glass and he stared down intently at her. She looked around frantically and wondered if the locked doors were another surprise, like the lights, or just a side effect of having alerted security. She had to decide if she should try to call the Beast back to remove this door too. The last hadn't seemed to phase him in the least. She wondered how Ansel would take that.  He'd seemed like someone who might have a touchy notion of pride. 

 

The idea of the Beast drawing near seemed like a horrible one however, especially as Joseph jogged up. "Dad!" he cried, pressing up to the window in the door. Casey continued to scan the hallway, wary of Beast and guard alike, as father and son briefly went through the necessary motions and explanations of a rescue.

 

"He needs to open the door himself!" Casey shouted over her shoulder. "He can do that, right?" This was communicated back to David and in no time she heard repeated thumping against solid metal as he followed through. It took about five more lunges before the hinge gave out with a wicked noise and the door along with David slammed to the floor. 

 

Rising, his son struggling to help him, he came face to face with the Beast. She hadn't even seen him approach, but there he stood just inches away from David. There was a low tickling growl that started to rise within his chest and it prompted Casey to throw herself between them. It was actually quite the squeeze to fit and David stumbled backwards a couple steps. 

 

Casey rolled her fists in the blood soaked collar of the Beast's shirt. She tried to give him a shake though it moved him not at all. "No! No! Focus! We need to get out of here! This is the plan! There are bigger threats!"

 

David pushed his son to the side, balling his fists. "That looks to be a pretty big threat," he muttered under his breath.

 

"Dad! No! They're here to help! Jesus Christ! We're breaking you out of an insane asylum! Are you really going to fight them?" Joseph pulled at his father's arm, making quite a sight. The full grown man battering at his aged father, begging. Casey tried to ignore them while at the same time stay alert for incoming threats.

 

The Beast tried to dart around her but she lunged to keep herself between them. "Please!" she cried "You need to stop. We've killed all them. We need to go home now." Reaching up, Casey gripped his face with both her hands. "We need to go home now. Stop. Everyone is safe now. We're safe now." The Beast tried to jerk his head to the side but she followed the motion. "We're safe now. Stop."

 

With a rumble in his chest that Casey could feel through her arms, the Beast slowly lowered his head. His motions were pure threat and black eyes promised death. She held her breath as he brought his face to hers. It was a gut feeling that caused her to tug him forward that last inch and place a kiss on his bloody lips. The sharp tang of copper in her mouth certainly gave her a different gut feeling and she fought the urge to be ill.  Behind her she heard the older Dunn mutter "... what the...?" as the Beast seemed go slack under her hands.

 

Pulling back, she watched as he stumbled back a step and then another before sinking to his knees. Confident that the Beast was gone, she whirled to face David Dunn. She also pulled the gun back out from where she'd tucked it in her waistband. "Don't! Just don't!" She looked over at Joseph. "We're leaving."

 

Joseph began to hustle his father towards the door and back down the hallway, skirting wide around whoever had been left in the Beast's wake. Casey dropped to her knees next to the Horde and carefully reached out.  When she placed her hand on his shoulder, he drew a deep, shuddering breath and straightened. Within just a few movements- the jerk of the head, the set of the shoulder, the furrowed brow- Casey was confident as to whom she was dealing with and let herself relax ever so slightly.

 

* * *

 

It took them a fraction of the time to hustle down the hallway and back to where they'd started. Mr Glass's pushed his own chair while the others cleared a pathway as best they could through the occasional pileup of guard bodies. She grit her teeth as the moved as fast as it or he could go. The man remained calm through it all, which she was immensely grateful for.

 

Victoria had understandably shrieked at the sight of Dennis when they reached her. Despite her fear, she hadn't been able to flee very far due to the state of her ankle and Casey had hurried over to calm her. Against fervent protests, Dennis swept the injured Victoria up and proceeded to carry her the rest of the to the stairwell. Reaching it, he looked down at the woman in his arms and then over to Elijah. Dennis shifted his hold on Victoria, who made a slight squeak in protest, and then looked to David. "Can you carry him?" he asked in what was an impressively calm voice giving the situation.

 

The two men exchanged a glance while Casey hissed, "We need to hurry!" David remained silent but did his part in aiding with their escape, stiffly gathering the man into his arms. It took two attempts and Elijah anxiously directing him to be careful but eventually David stood holding Elijah in a similar fashion as Dennis held Victoria. Abandoning the chair, they spilled into the stairwell and down the stairs.

 

They reached the car with only two more incidents, which Casey effectively dealt with. Witnessing this seemed to peak both David and Mr. Glass's interest but no one spoke. Piling in with various degrees of assistance, Joseph hopped behind the wheel. He somehow managed to drive them safely and innocuous out of the parking lot and away into the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uuuuuuuuuuugggh, let me never try to write a heist again. The end of this chapter had been written for ages but getting them there? Ugh. First time I've ripped out so many failed scenes. One of my favorite lessons from the single improve class I've ever taken was that if (in any narrative form) you explain the plan, the plan can therefor not go as detailed unless you hand wave/narratively jump past the execution. If you say what you're going to do and then just do it... that's bad story telling. So forgive me for trying to glue together a shoddy plan that was never meant to work... had to come up with a reason to drag Joseph and Victoria along for the ride ;) 
> 
> But HEY! I finally got everyone together which was my goal all along and has only taken, you know... 90k words. Next chapter is titled "Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here"
> 
> Quick unrelated note: apparently I've got quite a 'type' and there is media out there that's willing to cater to it. Just stumbled across the show Killing Eve and... daaaaaaaamn. (am only episode 5, no spoilers!) I think there's a chance some fans of the Split fandom might like it (and if you can tolerate Patricia/Victoria I'm sure you'll enjoy it). Also just watched The Favorite and absolutely loved it. Costumes & everyone being awful to each other! (am less certain Split fans would like it) <3 Rachel Weizs's character...
> 
> p.s. - I only watched the first 2 trailers for Glass and am trying desperately to avoid any further details about the film and it's haaaaaard


	11. Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here

It was a small miracle that they managed to stumble out of the car and into their safe house without being spotted. Casey had originally thought the idea rather ridiculous but now was thankful for a safe haven to retreat to that wasn't Victoria's apartment or a random warehouse. A chair had already been arranged for the Mr. Glass guy and David carried the man over and quickly deposited him in it. The two stared at each other in silence as Dennis set Victoria down on a stool in the living room. Joseph quickly lead David off to one of the rooms and Victoria simply sat there, blankly staring at her hands, while Dennis and Casey moved away towards the kitchen.  Mr. Glass wheeled himself over to join them.

 

Both of them were soaked with blood but for once Dennis didn't seem to be distracted by the sight of a mess. He ran a hand over his head, several dried streaks of red suggesting he'd done so a number of times since leaving the hospital. "What happened?" Dennis asked in a fierce whisper, looking around.

 

"It seems you finally made good your part of the bargain," Mr Glass observed with a smile, steepling his fingers. "I'd started to lose faith that you would. Or He would, as it were." 

 

Casey scowled at the man and answered Dennis's actual question, "There were lights, they flashed and you... had a problem." She glanced at him and he nodded. "We were all caught. The... the men, the guards, the people Victoria mentioned interviewing her? They had this device and... and they figured out I'm..." She pressed her lips together and glanced at the man in the chair who was watching her with far too much interest. "You know. And they were going to kill Joseph and Victoria. I think. So... I dealt with the problem. The Beast woke up instead of you. There were more guards and we dealt with them too. The room doors were locked and he just... ripped the one off to this guy's room." She jerked her head towards Mr Glass. "And David opened his own door. With his shoulder. Then, ah, you remember the rest from there." She left the bloody kiss unmentioned, unsure if he'd recall it or not.

 

There was still a look of vaguely panicked confusion on Dennis's face. He looked around the room, between her and the Glass guy and then to Victoria who could still be seen sitting mutely on a stool in the other room. He seemed to be unable to formulate exactly what the source of his distress was but Casey had a pretty good idea. With a sigh she added, "Dennis, the Beast and I... we killed... a lot of people." 

 

"Looked to be about twenty," Mr Glass added helpfully. "Assuming we backtracked the way you came in and there weren't even more elsewhere. You seem quite handy with a gun, young lady." His look was piercing as he held out a hand. "I appreciate you assisting with my escape. You can call me Mr. Glass...." 

 

Reluctantly she shook his hand and drew back quickly. "I'm Casey," she mumbled and the man's eyebrows rose dramatically. Slowly he shifted his gaze to Dennis and then back, clearly familiar enough with who she might be to recognize the oddity of the situation. As Mr Glass drew back his hand, he looked at it and rubbed at a bloody smudge she'd left there.

 

Dennis appeared to be getting himself under control, now nodding his head and looking at his own stained hands. He raised a hand to his mouth and wiped a some of the dried blood that streaked down his chin before hurrying to the sink and throwing the faucet on full blast. She was worried for a moment he might be sick but he appeared to just be frantically washing his hands and scrubbing his face. The man rinsed his mouth out and spit as Casey pointedly tried not to watch, turning her attention to the old man who sat beside her. 

 

"So... yeah, hi. I've, ah, heard a lot about you," she said awkwardly, trying to ignore Dennis's minor panic attack at the faucet. "From, you know, Victoria." 

 

The old man appeared equally inclined to grant Dennis some privacy and kept his gaze focused on her. "And I have heard quite a bit about you, from Victoria." The man's gaze flicked briefly from her to where Victoria sat and back. "While she did at one point mention you enjoyed visiting a gun range I never quite got the impression you'd... be involved in something like this."

 

Nodding, Casey muttered, "Yeah... it's... a long story," and left it at that. If she was going to have to explain herself, she didn't want to do so twice and she was certain Joseph's dad would demand an explanation as well eventually. By this point Dennis appeared to have addressed some of his most pressing needs and leaned with head bowed against the sink. He reached forward and turned the water off but didn't move much more than that.

 

"Hey, Dennis," she said in sympathetic tone of voice, stepping around Mr Glass to approach him. When the man turned to look at her he appeared to be positively miserable. His gaze swept up and down her and she could see him visibly wince.

 

"Casey... you're covered in blood. Just... covered in it," he said in pained voice. She blinked in surprise, unpleasantly reminded of a time not too long ago when he'd similarly complained about the state of her wardrobe. Thankfully he didn't asked for her shirt or something equally embarrassing to them both but his hands twitched and he appeared to be unable to look away from her. Unlike all the other times she'd caught him staring there was no hint of lust in the gaze, just extreme discomfort.

 

"It is actually a bit... disturbing," the man in the wheelchair added to her surprise. "And... I think that's a bit more than blood in your hair there." Casey started to reach up but paused, realizing she didn't actually want to find out what it was. It took intentional effort to keep her sight from turning towards whatever clung to her head.

 

Looking between the two men and becoming increasingly aware of the state she was in, Casey nodded. "I think... I think I'll just hop in one of the showers real quick. We packed changes of clothes for... people...." Casey hurried to the counter where they'd dropped the various supplies they'd brought and grabbed her duffle bag. 

 

Dennis had turned away and leaned again over the sink, gripping it. "Did... did my glasses make it back with us?" he asked.

 

The memory of the doctor's weird behavior towards Dennis was just one of many things Casey didn't want to think too much about just then. "No," was her only reply before she left the kitchen and hurried to one of the unclaimed bedrooms.

 

* * *

 

Victoria had no idea how long she'd sat there when Patricia appeared at her side. She'd seen Casey go by at some point and she vaguely recalled Mr. Glass entering the kitchen. Vitoria stared numbly into what she used to think of as Orwell's face.  Orwell's face that was quite lacking in Orwell at the moment. He, who was presently she, made a tutting noise and reached out to finger a lock of blood encrusted hair. "My, my, let's get you cleaned up." 

 

A firm grip on her arm got her up and assisted her as she hobbled where she was guided, her ankle flaring with pain when any weight was put upon it. Rather than lifting her as Dennis had, Patricia snaked an arm around Victoria's waist to help her along and support her weight as she lead them down the hall and into one of the bedrooms. There was a spacious private bathroom there and she went to the counter, pushing a number of items out of the way. Idly Victoria wondered if half of them were Dennis's but then grew confused, wondering when they would have been set out.

 

"Now now, sit right here," Patricia patted the sink countertop next to her. "Just hop on up. There you go."  She shuffled through a pantry closet for a second before returning with a washcloth. Running it under the faucet, she smiled over at Victoria. "Look at you, quite a mess. But still in one piece at least. And what happened to your sleeve? I don't recall the Beast doing that...."

 

Victoria reached up to pull at a loose thread from the ragged edge.  The entire left arm of her blouse was missing, the rest splattered or soaked through in places with blood. "The guard, he... his arm was missing, bleeding. I couldn't... I couldn't just not do anything," She spoke as if lost in a daze, "So I used my sleeve as a tourniquet."

 

"Oh dear girl, of course you did," Patria sighed. "Of course you'd help the fools who were going to shoot you not five minutes earlier." She shook her head and started to wipe at Victoria's face with the washcloth. "Good, good. None of this looks to be yours." Victoria blinked and looked at her in confusion. "Well, I didn't think it would be, but I was worried. That was quite a nasty fall you took when the Beast grabbed your ankle." Patricia caught her eye. "I'm sorry he did that. The doctor's lights, they make it hard to... work together. It's very difficult to make him listen to us, when he takes the Light. And with regards to the Impure... Not one word. But don't you worry, I'll keep trying to talk to him on your behalf. How bad is it?" She ran a hand down Victoria's leg, fingers curling under her calf and lifting.

 

"It... hurts. I think, maybe it's sprained? I should put some ice on it I think..." Victoria hissed as she gently probed the area around her ankle. Twisting on the counter, Victoria pawed through the collection of items, looking for pain medication. As she shook out several pills into her palm, Patricia plucked at the blouse where it clung bloodily to her.

 

"Well this will need to come off. Did you get shot anywhere, my dear?" Victoria barely had time to swallow the drugs before her hands were shooed away and Patricia began to work at buttons of her blouse.

 

"No... Casey is very good with... guns. I hid right away when the fighting started," she seemed more confused than anything else as she watched Patricia undo the last button and tug the remaining sleeve off. 

 

"Hmmmmm," was Patricia's wordless reply. The bloody rag of a garment was tossed into the tub and the washcloth re-dampened. "And how are you holding up, my dear?" she asked carefully, slowly wiping off some of the blood that had managed to seep through the fabric.

 

Victoria opened and closed her mouth once then twice, trying to put word to her feelings and failing, before she broke down sobbing.

 

* * *

 

Patricia had comforted and tried to sooth the poor woman before she picked up the wash cloth again. Running fresh hot water over it and wringing out the blood, she tried to maintain a light flow of conversation.  She opted for less questions and instead spoke about her time at the zoo, how they tended to injured animals there and sharing interesting tidbits about how human biology differed or was similar to various creatures.  Victoria had stopped bawling relatively quickly though she still sniffled occasionally and was quite glassy eyed when Patricia looked up to check on her.

 

The urge to shuffle Victoria into the shower to wash her hair was temping. Rinsing the washcloth again, she ran it over the woman's head. So very tempting. At this rate it would take forever to get her clean.  She tried not to think about the hovering presence of Dennis. That he was granting her a favor was undeniable, but she didn't appreciate such invasive attention as he did so. "Really," she muttered under her breath to him. "This mess probably bothers you more than it does me. I'm doing you both a favor..." 

 

Victoria lifted her head to look at Patricia, clearly confused. "What...?"

 

Ignoring the question, Patricia pursed her lips. "This isn't working," she tugged at the woman's pants pocket for lack of better hand hold. "Hop on down and we'll wash that hair of yours." Without complaint, Victoria slid from the counter but wobbled on one foot. A hand was placed on Patricia's chest for balance, the soaked shirt there painting a new red streak on the woman's freshly scrubbed skin.

 

Tutting again at the mess, Patricia balanced the woman against the counter before stepping back and pulling off the bloody garment. The dissonance between temptation and what she should do increased. They should clearly both step into the shower to wash the blood away but Patricia knew there'd be objections. Ridiculous, unreasonable, unfounded objections by parties that really had no place in the matter. The faucet ran again and the cloth wrung out. Thankfully Dennis had cleaned their face and hands already and she scrubbed only her forearms under the running water before turning to Victoria. Carefully taking the smudged arm, she wiped it clean again. The woman continued to stand there passively, eyes lowered, and appeared far more dazed than modest in her pose. Patricia's thumb ran along the strap of the woman's bra. The item was black and therefore showed no stains but she was quite certain it'd soaked up its own fair share of blood. She licked her lips.

 

"Think you still have the moral high ground?" Dennis asked in a disgusted tone. 

 

Victoria's head snapped up at that and she stared at Patrica with wide eyes. Patricia had the decency to at least blush and avert her gaze. "I'm confused," Victoria said in a shaky voice.

 

"He's not talking to you, dear." Patricia patted the woman's hand and very carefully withdrew her touch. "Here, I think the sink is large enough. Why don't you just bend down and we'll run- yes, just like that. Let me know if I should adjust the temperature." She allowed herself the luxury of tangling her fingers in the woman's hair. The sink ran red for a moment as the majority of the blood washed free. Finding the right bottle amongst the clutter, she soaped up Victoria's hair and thoroughly washed it. The act of twisting her fingers in those dark tresses while the woman was bent forward over the counter caused it's own problems and Patricia struggled to maintain her composure. 

 

They were wringing Victoria's hair out, Patricia expressing surprise at the impressive quantity of water it could hold, when Casey knocked on the door frame and entered. Patricia would have preferred to fully brush out the woman's hair but of course Casey started to shoo her out. When she tried to protest Casey just gave her a disgusted look and shut the door in her face. Turning away, she let out an uneven breath and composed herself before she went looking for a shower to use. Alone.

 

* * *

 

After kicking Patricia out, Casey had awkwardly coaxed Victoria into the shower and then a fresh set of spare cloth. Somehow in all their planning they'd not considered that Victoria would end up with them here. Watching the woman stand there with dripping hair and a distant expression she realized the situation might be worse than she expected. Victoria was clearly not handling this well. Given how she seemed to respond only to commands and gentle guidance, Casey was reluctantly grateful that Patricia had handled most the bloody work already.  The older woman looked quite shell shocked though she didn't appear to be suffering from any actual physical symptoms.

Casey lead Victoria back to the bedroom and laid her down. It seemed like everyone had already reached the unspoken conclusion that there was no more to be done this night. Hoping that Victoria wouldn't mind, she moved to the other side of the bed and joined her. Laying back on the bed, she stared up at the ceiling for a while. Neither of them said anything for a long stretch of time, sleep miles away for both of them.

 

"Are you angry at me?" Casey eventually asked. She spoke in a quiet voice and secretly hoped that she'd been wrong, that Victoria had fallen asleep and she just couldn't tell.

 

"What? Oh, goodness, no," Victoria breathed, sounding almost surprised, and Casey felt herself relax every so slightly. "I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give the impression I in any way was- was angry. I don't know what for...? No, I'm sorry, I'm just... thinking. I'm thinking. A lot. I'm sorry."

 

Casey continued to stare at the ceiling in the dark but kept her sight curled close, not actually wanting to know what was out in the dark right now. "Victoria. I killed.... I killed a lot of people," she whispered. 

 

There was a pause and then Victoria cleared her throat. "Yes, so I gathered. I saw several of them. Thank- Thank you. You put yourself at great risk to save Joseph and I."

 

Shaking her head, Casey blinked away the tears in her eyes. "You guys shouldn't have been there. It's my fault that-" A sudden elbow in her side had her drawing a sharp breath in surprise.

 

"Oh nonsense!" Victoria said, "You don't give Joseph and I enough credit for ourselves. We... We knew there was a risk. Obviously we were hoping it wouldn't come to this but, goodness, I mean, I'm just thankful I wasn't shot."

 

The woman's calm acceptance of what had happened left Casey a little stunned. "Victoria, I killed a lot of people," she repeated.

 

"Yes, well, they were certainly trying quite hard to kill you. And me. And while I don't mean to offend, I'm pretty certain the Beast killed more than you today."

 

Casey sat up and switched on the bedside light. Turning, she drew her knees up to her chest and stared at the woman. "Does this make me as bad as him?" She watched Victoria closely as the woman pushed herself up.

 

"What? Goodness no, lets not forget the... eating of people." She winced as she said this. Casey just shook her head and stared at the bedspread. She realized what had been keeping her up and a sense of unease settled over her. She'd been waiting for the urge to cut. At the back of her mind she'd known it'd catch up to her eventually. For the lives she took. For the lives he took. But there was nothing. She felt nothing for what she'd done. Yes, remorse, but not the compulsion. 

 

Glancing up she found Victoria giving her a worried look and she suddenly felt exhausted. There was so much to process about what had happened but Casey realized that Victoria couldn't possibly help her with it. There was no way for the woman to understand what Casey was feeling.  With a sigh, she just shook her head a second time and turned off the light. After a moment Victoria shifted and laid back down.

 

Satisfied that she'd at least pinpointed some of her agitation, Casey was eventually able to nod off. Tomorrow, she hoped, she would get the chance to talk to someone who did understand. The memory of a bloody kiss whispered in the back of her mind as she slid into sleep.

 

* * *

 

Joseph had no idea who it was that looked up at him from the floor as he creeped into the living room. They weren't wearing glasses so he assumed it at least wasn't Dennis, which he appreciated. The man was far too intense to feel comfortable around and he was always scowling. This person wasn't scowling, they appeared to look calm, almost peaceful, which clashed sharply with fresh memories of the Beast.

 

"I'm sorry," he said, when the person on the floor didn't move. "I thought you didn't sleep. I didn't mean to disturb you, I can-"

 

"No no, it's fine," a shockingly soft voice said. "I was just finishing my stretch with a brief savasana." Arms reached straight up into the air and they gracefully arched up into a sitting position. The head that turned to survey Joseph moved in an unfamiliar way. He'd only spoke to Barry and Dennis a couple of times but it was enough to call the motion unrecognizable. 

 

"Ah, oh. Ok," Joseph continued his slow creep towards the kitchen, skirting wide around the figure now sitting cross-legged on the floor. As he flipped on the kitchen light he heard the individual in the living room stand up and join him. 

 

"Are you hungry?" the person asked as they brushed past him to reach the refrigerator. 

 

"Ah, no," he mumbled, stepping far out of the way and running a hand through his hair. "I- ah, can't sleep. And not just, because, you know," he raised his hands and waved them about in an effort to express, well, everything. "It's, ah," he laughed awkwardly, "I forgot how loud my dad snores."

 

The individual at the fridge raised an eyebrow. "Drink then?" they asked in a friendly tone and Joseph nodded. Reaching in they selected a beer and handed it to him with a smile. "Normally I'd highlight what a bad idea 4am beers are but I think tonight definitely warrants an exception," they watched him fumble through the drawer for a bottle opener and then as he took his first nervous swallow. "Oh, I apologize. I'm Mary," they said, holding out a hand. "Mary Reynolds."

 

"Ah," he said, switching the drink to his other hand and reaching out to shake her offered hand. "Joseph Dunn," he added and felt slightly uneasy as she smiled at him in a knowing way.

 

"Yes, Joseph. I've heard about you," she said in a friendly voice and pulled a glass from a cupboard to fill at the faucet. "We really appreciate you helping us. Helping your dad, that took a lot of courage." Now she frowned slightly, looking sad. "We're very sorry that things... went the way they did. I'm... we're not sure what this means for you and Victoria and I assure you we're all very concerned for your well being."

 

"Ah, thanks," he said and took another hurried sip of his drink. He'd hoped to sneak unnoticed or at least unbothered to the kitchen and knock back a beer as quick as he could before trying to sleep again, possibly curled up under the kitchen table. In no way was he prepared to face the reality of what tomorrow would bring.

 

"Do you know what your dad is going to do?" She asked carefully, watching him closely as she took her own sip. Joseph shook his head and looked away, unnerved by this third individual so different from both Barry and Dennis. Hard to even imagine them being connected to the Beast. Encountering this Kevin Crumb in person was far stranger than he'd been prepared for and he suddenly wondered how Victoria had managed, visiting them for months. 

 

They stood together in silence for a while when she suddenly whispered "fine" under her breath and set her glass down. When Joseph glanced back at her, she no longer leaned against the counter the same way. Pushing off, she leaned over to flip the fridge open and pull out a bottle. "I've never seen a problem with 4am beer," Barry said and Joseph almost jumped in surprise. He gave himself a shake an reevaluated the man before him, recognizing now not just the voice but the way he grinned and cocked his head to the side.

 

"Ah, hi again," Joseph said, recalling how Victoria and Casey seemed to treat the transitions of these various alters. When Barry held up his bottle with a cheers, Joseph responded by clicking his half empty drink against the man's. 

 

"But, really," Barry said, leaning back against the counter and looking intently at him. "Is your dad going to murder us?" Joseph choked on the sip he'd just taken. "Turn us in?" Barry continued in a casual way. "Maybe just beat us up and leave us in a ditch?"

 

Joseph grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the spot he'd spilled on his shirt to buy himself some time and recover. "No, no my dad wouldn't do that," he said and felt a knot in his gut. "I- don't worry, I'm sure everyone here wouldn't let that happen," he added, weakly and questioned the truth of his words.

 

Barry just shrugged and took another long pull on his drink. "Wouldn't be the first time we ended up bloody and in a gutter. Would just appreciate, you know, a heads up." He wrapped his arms around his waist and held his drink loosely as he continued to stare at Joseph. "Victoria picked out a couple sets of cloths for us, thoughtful of her but really? All knit t-shirts?" He wrinkled his nose and shook his head, "Those things always pill like a bitch when you try to scrub blood out of them."

 

"Jesus," Joseph gasped, turning to set his drink on the counter and grip the edge of the granite there, needing a moment to collect himself. "Is everything about murder with you guys?" He swallowed thickly, recalling once again all the details of the Horde's time loose. 

 

"Oh, honey," the man behind him chuckled sadly, "wasn't talking about those. Lets just say this last year has been the icing on the shit cake that's been our life so far.  Me and Mary and most the others, we don't have anything to do with any of that mess. Just sort of dragged along for the ride, as it were." There was a pause and and Joseph continued to stare at the counter top. "Sort of like you with all this."  Joseph looked over his shoulder and saw Barry raise his eyebrows.

 

"What?"

 

Barry shrugged. "Just pointing out we've got a lot in common. Your connection to your dad found you in this trouble just like our... connection with... Them had lead me here." He took another drink and looked at the nearly empty bottle. "Drinking at 4am once again, not for the first time hiding from the police... but hey, at least this time we're not alone." He flashed Joseph a smile and finished his drink. "Hey, why don't you hide from your dad's snoring on the couch. I'll settle in the kitchen. Victoria packed Orwell some books," he rolled his eyes but also smiled at this, "so we can just hang out here with the oven light on."

 

Joseph felt a little bad at the idea of forcing Barry into the kitchen but there was no way he'd be able to sleep with the man in the same room as him. "Ah, th- thanks. Do you want some of the cushions or something?"

 

Barry followed him back into the living room and selected a throw blanket. "Nah, I'll be good with this. Well, he'll be good. He's got a book so, you know, the police could knock down the door and he'd probably not notice. We have to make sure he's ok before the switch or he'll just get in trouble." Barry wrapped the blanket around himself and picked a book up from side side table. "A couple winter's ago we came down with the flu and we're pretty certain it's because he left a window open and read next to it through the night." With an exaggerated eye roll at that, as if the horrifying tale were somehow an amusing or cute antidote, Barry headed back to the kitchen. He made it several steps before he rocked to a stop, standing there for a moment. Joseph was worried there'd been another switch before Barry gave a sudden laugh. He glanced back over his shoulder, his brow suddenly creased, "Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure Victoria gave him the book." Shaking his head slowly, he returned to the kitchen. 

 

Joseph sat on the couch and watched as the light in the other room switched off and a moment later a dimmer one clicked on. There was the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor and then silence. With a shiver, Joseph curled up on the couch and tried to get comfortable. The previous night he'd gotten no sleep due to nervousness on how their plan would go. Now it took him no time at all to fall asleep, thankfully, and his last conscious thought was a prayer that he wouldn't awaken to a brawl in the living room tomorrow morning.

 

* * *

 

It was Barry, happily cooking in the kitchen, that greeted everyone the next morning. David eyed the man warily and stood in the hallway, unwilling to admit this was happening by entering the living room. He didn't like that Joseph leaned against a counter, chatting with the man. David had wanted to get out of the hospital, yes, but he felt certain the price was proving to be to high- not that he'd ever agreed to pay it. With a sigh he slowly reached up to scratch the back of his head.

 

"Ah, excuse us," Casey muttered and David was forced to step out of the way as Casey helped Victoria to the table, the woman's arm draped over her shoulder as she hobbled. Settling her down, the girl moved to the kitchen where he heard her greet an unseen Elijah.

 

Catching sight of him, Joseph poured a cup of coffee and brought it to his father. "I can pour my own coffee," David muttered as he accepted the cup, still not moving forward from the hallway. He took a tentative sip as he watch Barry carry a cup to Victoria. He narrowed his eyes as the man stooped to chat with her briefly in hushed tones. 

 

"Dad," Joseph hissed at him, "Please don't just... please don't just glare all the time." His son looked distressed so he tried his best to do something else. He wound up staring into his mug. "I mean, yes, it is... sort of the Horde. Or... the Beast... but... it's not all the time. If- you know-" David turned and gave his son a look.

 

"I know who Barry is," he muttered and forced himself to walk into the living room. Victoria gave him a weak smile as he moved towards the table. "I'm the one who's been going to 'group therapy' with these idiots for months. Though Barry here skipped out on the last couple." He watched as the man brought out a plate of scrambled eggs. Barry shot him a nervous glance as he carefully set the platter in the middle of the table, an obvious peace offering. "The doctor did keep us informed on what you been up to though." Barry froze in place while Elijah wheeled in with a lap full of plates and Casey followed with a mountain of toast. "You guys been enjoying your latest series of killings, Barry?" 

 

The room fell immediately silent, Casey stopping mid-motion of setting down the tray. There moment extended and eventually Elijah moved forward and began to deal out the plates and silverware. David continued to hold Barry in a stare till the man eventually gasped and fled to the kitchen. Casey glared at David and moved to quickly follow. It was surprising when it looked like Joseph would also follow him to the kitchen and David was thankful that Victoria reached out to grab his son's arm. She shook her head and instead slid the plate of eggs towards him.

 

* * *

 

"Get ahold of yourself!" Casey hissed as she cornered him in the kitchen. "Come on, Barry!" The man ran both hands over his head.

 

"I can't even tell if he's referencing last night or the ones since the escape," Barry gasped, sounding extremely distraught. "He's going to kill us," he wheezed, putting a hand to his chest. "Oh don't you even dare," he muttered under his breath and shook his head. "I am the one who is going to handle this. Don't. You. Dare." 

 

Casey pressed her lips together and sighed. She had been about to suggest Dennis take the Light for a moment to help them calm down but clearly that wasn't going to happen. Glancing back over her shoulder she was relieved to see folks starting to dig into the food. "You had to have known he was going to ask about that, Barry," she said in mild irritation. Picking up the plate of bacon, she brought it out to the table and glanced around. 

 

She was worried she'd have to drag the man out of the kitchen but he did eventually, and with great reluctance, emerge. David just stared at him from across the table as he took a bite of toast. He finished chewing before he said, "I don't know, is this Dennis or Barry? Sort of sulking like a sullen Dennis at the moment, I thought you were chattier than this, Barry." Barry hung his head, clearly distressed, but said nothing. "Maybe Patricia-"

 

The silverware on the table jumped as Victoria slammed her hand down onto it. "Enough!" She scolded, giving David a hard look. "It's bad enough you're being antagonistic but I refuse to tolerate such rudeness at the table." The man gave her an almost confused glare in response to being lectured at. Elijah just raised his eyebrows and took a sip of coffee. 

 

"No rudeness, sorry. Got it," he turned to glare at Barry. "I'll be direct then. Barry, you guys are murderers and I won't-" He was clearly stunned at the number of people who simultaneously interrupted him to point out that Barry was technically not a murderer.  Elijah remained silent while the other three spoke over each other, Joseph explaining how the Horde was really the ones to blame while Victoria placed the murders entirely on the Beast and Casey told him to mind his own fucking business and combined it with a glare. Her wrathful proved to be too much.

 

"Ok ok ok. Fine. Barry, never mind. I have a new question- why is Casey Cooke here?" He said, pointing towards her. This time Joseph and Victoria started to answer at the same time, she reminding him that the girl used to live with her and his son pointing out that they'd talked about this the night before. "I know she was there when Patricia came back a second time. And she maybe has powers. Still, why help?" He glared back at Casey while Elijah tipped his head to wordlessly consider her as well.

 

"What do you mean, maybe?" Casey muttered taking her own careful sip of coffee. It was frustrating that the were no particularly impressive demonstration of her powers she knew of off the top of her head and she immediately tried to think up one. This was something she should probably keep in mind for the future.

 

"Yes, it's really quite definitive," Victoria said, unnecessarily backing her up. "We even have secondary validation of some common attribute amongst you all. That device, it was quite fascinating. I wonder if they have more," She murmured and nibbled on her toast.

 

David appeared ready to append more frustrated comments or questions so Casey quickly stepped in. "I wanted to meet more people like me," she said and held out a hand. Again there was a collective hush at the table. Barry looked up and paled. The fact that he shook his head as David reached out disappointed her. Did he really think she hadn't been paying attention at all? She knew he'd find out eventually and thought it best to get it over with. If anything, it might help Barry out. 

 

The handshake was firm but otherwise initially unnoteworthy. After split second though David tensed and inhaled, his grip on her hand tightening before he twitched a second time and let go abruptly. It was strange to look into his eyes and know that he knew... something, but have no idea what it was exactly. "Jesus Christ, why?" the man gasped, drawing his hand back and looking a little horrified. Joseph's eyes had grown wide as saucers at the exchange while Victoria only wore her usual expression of confusion. 

 

Taking another sip of coffee, Casey continued to stare at David. "There's context to everything," she said ominously.

 

"Speaking of powers," Elijah interjected smoothly, "Casey, please, I would love to hear more."

 

* * *

 

Grateful for the distraction as Casey began to describe what she could do, Barry slipped away from the table again. This time instead of fleeing into the kitchen, he hurried down the hall to and stepped into the room furthest away from them all. His heart was racing and he looked around the room, feeling uneasy when he realized it'd been where the girls had slept last night. Closing his eyes, he ran a hand over his face and cursed the universe for never being able to catch a break.

 

"Ok," he said aloud but in a hushed voice. "So I agree that could have gone better."

 

"Barry, don't be a coward," Patricia immediately answered with and he sighed. He'd felt her and many others hovering ever since people had started to wake up and was thankful that no one had made a scene trying to have a discussion where others could hear them. Now that they were alone though he braced himself for the onslaught.

 

"He's not a coward," Jade defended him, which he appreciated but it felt awkward being in the Light when she voiced the opinion with his own mouth. "David is clearly on the fence between turning us in and just murdering us himself. And unless you want something bad to happen to Victoria and Joseph, I really don't think the Beast can help against him right now. Or, you know, ever."

 

"I don't believe Mr. Dunn will attack us," Orwell countered as Barry stumbled towards the mirror at the vanity. It was dizzying sometimes when too many tried to talk at once and it helped to stare into the mirror, providing an anchor to who he was talking to. 

 

"Whatever are we to do," Mary sighed and Barry leaned against the vanity, relaxing slightly. He could now see Mary's worried expression looking back at him. "The agreement was to help Elijah out but now... Are we to continually care for him and protect him? That seems... excessive."

 

"What about Victoria," Orwell asked in a worried voice, "Are we going to care for and protect her?"

 

"Absolutely!" was Patricia's immediate and obvious response and Barry felt he represented several others as he rolled his eyes.

 

"I question the soundness of that logic," Barry managed to add, though it was a minor struggle to get his opinion in amongst so many clamoring for their say.  "In addition to its feasibility."

 

"And what? We just walk away and abandon her? Now you sound like Casey." The scorn in Patricia's voice was paired with a slightly narrowed gaze looking back at him from the mirror.

 

"I don't think Casey would want us to just leave," Dennis said. "I agree it would be wrong to just abandon everyone. We should ask Casey what she-" As Barry expected it would, the conversation between Dennis and Patricia quickly spiralled out of control and he felt the others pushed further from the Light while his own position in it became tenuous. He rocked on his feet as the two bickered back and forth about who and how they could protect or stay with, the focus of course narrowing down exclusively to just the two women. It bothered Barry that Joseph and Elijah quickly became quite an afterthought and neither seemed to be factoring in the threat of David.

 

"What?" Patricia was scolding, "So you and Casey can just frolic off together? I think not!"

 

"Hey, you two, just cut it," Barry managed to eventually interject, "There's no running away and frolicking, ok? We finally have others that are like us. Maybe we should all try to work together for once? 

 

"Barry, I appreciate your input but I don't think you're as welcome in this conversation as you might think you are," Patricia muttered and his eyes widened.

 

"Excuse you!" he cried, "I don't care if I'm welcome or not. We're discussing what's going to happen next, yes? You two hardly get a monopoly on that. We're supposed to be working together now, right?"

 

"We can hardly consult with everyone, Barry," Dennis pointed out in a calm voice "You know that's impractical."

 

"We know. Which is why the group has nominated me to deal with you... two," Barry stepped away from the mirror to pace around the room for a moment. "I think we can all agree there's no abandoning going on and we still have some debts we owe. Although, Jesus, what are we going to do with Joseph and Victoria..."

 

"I don't think Victoria likes you as much as you think she does," Dennis continued to argue with Patricia. "She likes Orwell, you're all confusing yourselves if you think she's equally fond of the the rest of us."

 

"Her research notes suggest otherwise. And just because Casey only wants to talk to you doesn't mean everyone else is incapable of expressing interest in the rest of us, in more than one of us," Patricia fired back and Barry nodded his head, not liking Dennis's take on the situation.

 

"Casey likes me too!" Hedwig suddenly butted in, "I'm her friend!"

 

Both Patricia and Barry sighed, a strange echoing overlapping sensation and Patricia carefully spoke to the child. "Thank you for reminding us if that fact, Hedwig, now if you'd please, the adults are trying to have a discussion."

 

In the end, they put forward the few alternatives they had to work with and let everyone vote on it. They'd just settled on a course of action when the door to the room opened and Barry froze. Victoria hobbled in, closing the door behind herself and had made it to the bed before she noticed him standing there, unmoving. 

 

"Oh my, I'm sorry, I-" she looked around and immediately turned to limp back towards the door. "So sorry, I thought I would just- didn't mean to interrupt."

 

"Nonsense, my dear," Patricia exclaimed, having wrestled the Light quite fiercely from a rather unresisting Barry. She hurried over to the woman's side and with a firm guiding hand, shepherded her back to the bed where she'd initially sat down. "We were just having a nice chat in private but we've finished that up." Her gaze flicked over the woman's face. "Are you all right?" 

 

Victoria waved a hand and then rubbed her face with it. "No, but I mean, yes, as much as one could be. I'm just very tired. Didn't sleep well last night or at all to be honest. I was hoping to maybe just take a nap for a moment. They're still having the 'powers' discussion," she added, "and I figured they wouldn't miss me." 

 

Nodding, Patricia took a seat on the bed next to the woman and gave her a look. "If you don't mind, dearest, there's something I'm curious about," she said, taking Victoria's hand in her own. Given their agreed upon course of action, Patricia though it important she raise the issue sooner rather than later. She lightly stroked her thumb over the hand she clasped. "You are quite familiar with how Kevin's name can be invoked, yes?" Victoria stared at her with those large doe eyes of hers for a moment before nodding. Patricia smiled and gave the hand the most gentle of squeezes. "Why didn't you use it at the hospital?"

 

"Why he had me about the neck quite quickly," she promptly answered though the familiar look of confusion appeared as she spoke. "I tried to-"

 

Patricia shook her head and gave the hand another squeeze, "I meant last night."

 

Victoria blinked at her a couple times, apparently rather confused by the simple question. "Why that seemed excessive," she explained. "I'll confess, yes, the thought did occur to me. And if things had escalated perhaps I would have." Patricia frowned, worried that the woman seemed oblivious as to how close she'd come to real danger. "Casey... Casey called him off quite quickly though." Victoria bit her lip and looked down for a moment, clearly perturbed by a thought, before she looked back to Patricia, "I knew doing so would severely jeopardize our probability of success. No offense meant to anyone else, but I'm not so certain we could have gotten out of that situation without the Beast."

 

With a heavy sigh, Patricia just shook her head and gave the hand she held yet another gentle squeeze. "Victoria, darling, I'd like you to be a bit more cautious in the future. I don't think I can quite express how distressing it would be if something were to happen to you. If... He were to do something to you." The woman's eyes widened at this and she nodded her head rapidly, again lowering her gaze.

 

"Yes, I think I'd find that rather distressing myself," Victoria whispered. She drew a shaky breath. "I'm sorry that it had to come to that. I- I understand I'm absolutely to blame." Patricia's eyes widened and her gaze upon the woman turned confused. Victoria kept her head bowed however and continued to speak, "I swear I looked for construction updates. I absolutely considered that possibility- well not the lights in particular but modifications in general to the ward and nothing suggested such an installation." The hand Patricia held trembled. "I found that upgrade to the door but nothing... how did I miss such an obvious fact. Obvious and vital!" There was a definite sniffle. "My failure to collect all the information doomed us from the start," Victoria finally gasped before bursting into tears.

 

Patricia found herself patting the woman on the shoulder as Victoria held her face in her hands and sobbed quite dramatically. With a nervous glance towards the door, Patricia reached out and wrapped an arm around the woman's shoulders. Last night's outburst of tears had been understandable, the woman had been covered in blood at the time. This episode however seemed far more worrisome. Drawing her in close, she made gentle soothing noises and tried to calm the woman. It was a privilege that Victoria would open up to her so about her feelings, but Patricia recognized that someone walking in the room right now might jump to some incorrect conclusions if the woman kept crying the way she was.

 

With pursed lips, Patricia considered how best to handle the situation. "I'm sorry to hear that, darling," she said in a consoling voice, Victoria immediately quieting as she spoke. "I still think your plan was quite brilliant. And while it might have failed in its primary objective, it left us in a much better position than if we'd just gone in without it." Victoria scrubbed at her face with her sleeve and seemed to try and compose herself. 

 

"But it could have been better, we could have managed without hurting anyone," her lip trembled.

 

"Oh, certainly," Patricia conceded, patting the woman's shoulder. "But you weren't given time. If Dennis and Casey had only consult with you sooner, I'm sure you could have come up with an even better plan. But still, with the limited time you had, you managed to at least send them in with yourself and Joseph, which I'm certain helped create a distraction. And... " Biting her lip and looking down, she stroked Victoria's arm. "Well, I think having you there helped with things going better than they could have."

 

"How could they have gone worse?" Victoria asked, a flush creeping up her neck. It occurred to Patricia that calling her ideal bait to summon the Beast with might upset the woman further.

 

"Well it could have been Hedwig who woke up after the lights." Contemplating this thought seemed to distress Victoria as much as one would expect it to and Patricia took the opportunity to rub the woman's back in sympathy. At this point Victoria had stopped crying but had turned Patricia's cautions for her safety into guilt at not knowing everything. Sighing, Patricia shook her head and was at a loss for what to say to the woman. She knew what Victoria wanted at the moment was most likely to talk to Orwell but she was loathed to give up the opportunity to indulge in her company. 

 

For the first time in her life, Patricia was seized with the urge to masquerade as one of the others. While she lacked Dennis's attention to detail, she wondered how hard it would be to convince Victoria she was Orwell. How long could she keep up the illusion. The thought burned brightly in her for a moment and then was gone, quickly extinguished by reality. 

 

"Really, dearest, you saved the day," Patricia said absentmindedly as she continued to wrestle with the failed idea. It was easy to imagine a number of things Victoria might allow in Orwell’s company that were otherwise denied to her. But to indulge would break one of their most core rules, something surely unforgivable at this point in their slowly healing alliance. And the idea of it was preposterous when examined closely. Patricia had never once played at being one of the others, an act which normally was quite taboo, and she almost prided herself on the fact she wouldn't be able to do so. She was too much of her own person to possibly be confused with someone else, even if she tried. Patricia slowly ran her fingers through Victoria's hair as she let her thoughts wander, pleased to apparently be allowed that much liberty.

 

The fact that Dennis had so thoroughly been able to pass for Barry in the eyes of multiple members of society had greatly distressed everyone, back when it happened. Barry had seemed more ready to forgive Dennis for the death of Dr Fletcher than the impersonation of himself. Which was something Patricia found deeply insulting, on Dennis's behalf. None of the others seemed able to realize how much the doctor's death had hurt Dennis, most assuming he'd let it happen carelessly, not understanding the sacrifice he'd made for the greater good. Always the others cast the two of them in such a negative, heartless light. Dennis to this day regretted the necessity of the woman's death. While Patricia thought him foolish for doing so, she at least acknowledged his remorse and resented that others seemed to think him incapable of such feelings.

 

With a heavy sigh, Patricia shook her head to banish such gloomy thoughts. The politics of the group weighed on her constantly but her time with Victoria was so fleeting, she knew she should enjoy it while she could. She realized Victoria had grown quite still under her gentle petting and she worried she'd frightened the woman. 

 

"No more of this weeping about botched plans now," Patricia said in a cheery tone, giving the woman's arm a squeeze in an attempt to recover the situation. She brought her other hand to rest lightly on the woman's knee. "You did wonderfully, my dear, and we all have you to thank for it. So don't you worry, we absolutely will not abandon you. We've all talked about it and agreed. You were there for us in our hour of need and we will be there for you, darling."

 

Victoria leaned back and looked at her with wide eyes. "My... my hour of need?" A look of horror overtook her and she stared off into the distance. "Oh my."

 

* * *

 

Casey paused and then turned her head. "Where’s Victoria?" she asked, pushing the impromptu blindfold up onto her forehead. 

 

"What, you can't tell?" David sounded dryly amused though he too looked around the room and frowned slightly.

 

"Said she was going to lay down," Joseph answered as he fished the quarters from the cup, still in awe that Casey had been able to land them all at such distance. She swore under her breath and dropped the remaining change they'd collected and her blindfold onto the table. She'd thought a light hearted demonstration would loosen the tension, maybe help out Dennis and the others by putting David at ease, and now felt almost betrayed.

 

"God damnit, Patricia," she growled and stormed down the hallway. David was right behind her and could no doubt hear the weeping before they reached the door. Casey could see Patricia's expression though and was already a little cautious by the time she threw open the door. Pointedly she placed a firm arm on it, blocking David from entering though she knew the man glowered at the Horde from behind her. 

 

Victoria sat curled up against Patricia on the bed, sobbing into her chest quite dramatically, fists gripping Patricia's shirt and most certainly preventing her from escaping. Patricia, for her part, quickly lifted her hands the moment the door had opened and looked quite panicked. The crying seemed to increase in fervor at this and after a brief hesitation, Patricia slowly lowered her hands again to pat the woman on the back. 

 

"What is going on," David rumbled and Casey arched an eyebrow, clearly wondering as well. Victoria didn't respond to the question though she did seem to calm herself ever so slightly with the resumed gentle back rub. 

 

"Victoria is just... coming to terms with the situation," Patricia said cautiously. Casey's eyebrows rose a bit higher at that and Patricia hastened to clarify. "The situation being that it's not safe for her to return to her home right now and that she might... be without her books. For a while." The woman let out a pained moan at this, the sound muffled against Patricia's chest, and a new wave of sobs wracked her.

 

Casey paled and shook her head. "Ah," she said and glanced back at David, still shaking her head. "Ah, well. Ah." Placing a hand on the man's chest, she gave him a gentle shove back down the hallway which he didn't seem to appreciate though he did step back. "That's... an important point. One we should talk about." Casey bit her lip and felt a little bit like a coward. In theory she understood as Victoria's friend she should be there for her, that it should be her shoulder the woman was crying on. But the idea of trying to help Victoria though this, given the woman's absurd obsessive nature when it came to books, was a daunting one and she for once was happy Patricia was there. If Patricia wanted to haunt the woman it was fitting she'd have to handle some of the fallout of her actions.

 

With another shove against David, Casey took a step back. "When... when Victoria's ready, she should join us and we'll talk about what... We'll all talk about what we're going to do next." It was hard to glare at Patricia this time, but Casey did give her a pointed look. "I'm just going to leave this door here open and we'll be waiting in the living room."

 

David stopped halfway down the hall and gave Casey a hard to read look, though at the very least it wasn't a particularly friendly look. "What exactly is going on between them?" he asked in a hushed voice.

 

With a snort, Casey raised her hands and edged past him in the narrow hallway. "If you want to ask Victoria that, be my guest," was all she said. It was one thing for her to feel uncomfortable with Patricia's obsessive behavior but quite another to give David even more fodder to distrust or attack the Horde. Casey hustled back to the living room and scooped up the change, waiting for Victoria to calm down.

 

Thankfully it wasn't too long before Patricia lead out a still slightly limping Victoria to rejoin the group. "Thank you," she murmured to Patricia after she'd been settled. Casey frowned as Patricia took a seat next to Victoria and no one commented on the large patch of shirt still clearly damp from soaking up the woman's tears. While Casey appreciated Patricia handling Victoria's hysterics, she didn't find her remaining in the Light just now a very good idea. With Barry there was at least a general plausible deniability in place should David start to pick a fight about any of the Horde's various misdeeds.

 

It was clear David took to Patricia's company as well as Casey expected he would and he was just about to say something when Elijah jumped in, tackling the larger issue head on. "So, what are we to do now?" He pleasantly asked the group at large. Everyone immediately clammed up at that as they collectively looked around the table. 

 

"Well Victoria and Joseph can't go home," Patricia said carefully, "unless they would like to get arrested. And I personally would hate to see that happen." She reached out to pat the hand of the woman sitting next to her. Lifting her chin, Patricia eyed Elijah warily. "I was under the impression, Mr Glass, that you might have an idea already on what we should do. From your discussion with the Beast which..." She cleared her throat and looked uncomfortable. "I will confess none of us... none of the rest of us that is, are actually familiar with how that conversation went. Which is also, let me add, why the initial escape went the way it did."

 

"What do you mean?" David interrupted. "The Beast broke out, he killed that intern," he was frowning at Elijah as he spoke. "Did you have something to do with that? That girl's blood is on your hands as much as it on theirs if so."

 

"David, please," Victoria spoke softly but quite firmly as she rubbed at her temple. "Please. Yes, you hate Them all," she waved a hand at Patricia, "and nobily condemn all murder and are an absolute saint. Could we please, for a moment, cease allocating blame for what has happened and focus on what will happen?" The man glared at her for a long stretch of time and Casey bit her lip. The tension in Victoria's voice reminded her of the neatly scribbled note amongst the stolen papers and Casey suddenly wondered how the woman felt about him. Her ask was reasonable however, though Patricia's faint smirk was not helpful.

 

Elijah clearly had some comments no doubt pertaining to the past and blame he wanted to make but after a glance at Victoria he nodded. "I did speak with Him about... some individuals. They'd contacted me through my mother, never in person. We don't know who or where they are but I was lead to believe they were like us." His eyes scanned the table, skipping over Joseph and Victoria, "I had proposed to Him that we set out, together, to find them." Casey nodded her head, finding the answer about as vague and useless as she'd worried it'd be. 

 

"Well we find that to be an agreeable plan," Patricia said, "and I believe Casey would be inclined to join us as well. And we simply must take Victoria with us of course." Both women looked rather surprised by this. "Joseph, you're obviously welcome for we certainly owe you a debt as well and I'm sure Victoria would never go along with a plan that abandoned you to the proverbial wolves." Again she smiled and patted the woman's hand. "Which leaves you, David. I think we could find it in our hearts to allow you to join us, if you wanted to and swore to be... cooperative."

 

There was a collective inhale by everyone at the statement and Casey felt her lip twitch up involuntarily. Though Patricia could be quite irritating at times, she had to admire the ballsy maneuver of putting David as the odd one out, suggesting it was only with their collective good will that he might be allowed to tag along. 

 

"Join you? No," David shook his head and took another sip of his coffee, clearly not raising to Patricia's baiting. "Joseph and Victoria have lives to get back to. I'm going to work with them to make this right."

 

Victoria snorted. "Oh, I think not. I lost my job due to meddling by... whoever it is that was keeping you. Should have listened harder to the warnings Ms. Price gave me. And that was before I even agreed to help. My situation at the moment is beyond a question of 'legal' and now into 'lethal'. I’m not worried about getting arrested, I’m worried about getting shot at this point. I'm inclined to follow someone else's lead for a little while seeing how my own got me here." She fixed David with a glare. "I originally wanted no part in this, my only input was that they take you with them when they went. I'm sorry if that's not the choice you would have gone with, please, feel free to turn yourself back in." 

 

"You're a rent-a-cop, David," Casey chipped in. "What do you know about clearing someone's name from a crime they technically did commit?"

 

"Yes, David, tell us what you know about being on the run?" Patricia's smile grew wider. "I think it's quite clear that amongst all of us here, We clearly have the most experience existing on this side of the law. And I'm not just referring to... this past year. We've had more than a few... upsets in circumstance let's say, in the past." The way her smile faltered revealed how her glee was diminished by this memory.

 

Looking around the table, David was clearly disappointed by what he saw there. "You're really going to follow someone who has the Beast trapped in his head? Who helps Him? What happens next time He comes out?"

 

"I'll handle it," Casey said and resented the look David gave her in response. "I've dealt with him twice before now." She gave a casual shrug and ignored Patricia's glare.

 

"I don't understand why, but it is true," Joseph assured his dad. "He was going to..." swallowing, he glanced at Victoria. "But Casey told him to stop and he did. Just like that." David snorted in disbelief. 

 

"Well I personally have faith in Casey and think it makes a lot of sense." This earned Victoria several skeptical looks. "I mean, from what I've gathered the Beast responds only reluctantly but when he does so it's often at the behest of a strong commanding female presence. Some predators fall into a matriarchal social structures when they cooperate as a group. Birds of prey, orcas, elephants, hyenas, and if the primary female of the 'pack', if you will, isn't necessarily the most dominant member of the group she at least often has a lot of say. Wolves, lions, there's lots of species that demonstrate this... of course for solitary species all bets are off, but given the nature of..." Here she gestured towards Patricia, "The communal nature of the Beast's... identity I'm assuming He leans more towards 'pack' behavior dynamics." There was a pause as everyone digested that.

 

"Are you... are you comparing me to Patricia?" Casey asked, sounding both mildly horrified and stunned.

 

"Well, yes, insofar as the Beast is concerned. I mean, Casey, you can be quite.." Victoria sounded almost apologetic as she explained, "intense at times. When you've yelled at me in the past I assure you, you can be quite... intimidating. And you get this look sometimes... like right now..." Victoria gulped.

 

"Does that explain the kiss?" David asked.

 

"The kiss?" Patricia and Victoria echoed simultaneously, both sounding quite shocked. Joseph coughed and pointedly looked at no one while his father continued to give the girl a confused look.

 

Casey cleared her throat and nodded her head. "Yeah, the, ah, kiss. It was..." Casey felt herself starting to blush. "It was a gut feeling," she said and hoped they left it at that.

 

"You... You kissed the Beast?" Victoria gasped, unkindly not letting the issue just disappear. "Why? Did he bite you?" The way she held her hand to her own mouth in fright made it quite clear what she thought of Casey's decision making skills and gut feelings.

 

"When exactly was this?" Patricia asked in a calm voice. There was a little bit of color creeping up her neck as well, which Casey appreciated. If she was going to be made horrifically uncomfortable by David's and Victoria's questions she damn well didn't want to be the only one. 

 

"Yesterday. After the fighting was over. He was... distressed. Agitated. If I hadn't been able to calm him down I don't know how we were going to get him out of there. I thought..." She hesitated. "I thought it would distract him or, I don't know, bring Hedwig to the Light."

 

"Hedwig?" Victoria asked in surprise, now sounding mildly disapproving along with shocked. Patricia as well narrowed her eyes but said nothing. It occurred to Casey just then to wonder if Hedwig had ever shared the knowledge of their kiss with the rest of the Horde. 

 

"Last time the Beast was... last time Hedwig helped me," she explained. "He came when I called. I don't know..." She hung her head and hoped no one asked further questions since she'd answered as much as she was going to. The truth she realized was slightly different, but close enough that they didn't need to know. She'd assumed, correctly, that there was no way Dennis would resist a kiss. The man clearly had a thing for her. An obsessive almost creepy sort of thing... But he kept his hands, if not his eyes, to himself and so far had proven him desire to help her, no matter what, to be true. And as demonstrated repeatedly yesterday, he was quite helpful. Somehow she knew that a kiss would, or at least could, summon him. 

 

"Well... That.. I..." Victoria whispered to herself and Casey wished the woman would just shut her mouth for once.

 

* * *

 

Joseph was relieved when his father managed to intervene between the two women before Victoria's questions could set Casey off. A quick glance at Patricia suggested she was equally relieved and Joseph looked away quickly before she caught him staring. Where as Dennis was a glowering type of intimidating, Patricia, who he'd already heard quite a lot about, turned out to be a wholly different type of unsettling. He had no idea how Victoria seemed to tolerate the near constant touches that Patricia peppered her with and the way she moved was again drastically different than the others so far. Her tone oozed condensation and while he appreciated the offer to help him, he felt vaguely uneasy at the idea.

 

Thankfully logistics took over the conversation, his father asking very reasonable questions like "what are we going to do tomorrow?" and "how are we going to feed everyone".  Victoria, Elijah, and David put their heads together and appeared to take this upon themselves, which Joseph didn't mind in the least. 

 

Casey continued to glare at his dad and Joseph got the distinct impression it wasn't Patricia who stood up and started to clear the table. Casey noticed this as well and followed them into the kitchen and, lacking anything better to do, so did Joseph.

 

"I want to talk to Dennis," Casey was saying as Joseph leaned against the counter in an attempt to be casual though her question immediately had him regretting his decision. Thankfully whoever it was didn't appreciate the request and they gave the girl a skeptical look as they began to work in the sink.

 

"Come on Mary- er... Polly? Polly," Casey quickly corrected herself as she watched them scrub at one of the plates. "A lot happened last night and...  and I'd really like to talk to him."

 

"Hmmm?" was the only response she got initially but as she persisted Polly turned to face the girl. Joseph was surprised by the rich southern accent that coated the feminine voice, "I don't know if that's a very good idea right now." She gave the girl a critical look up and down. "I'm a little offended you'd confuse me with Mary. I've been very generous with my time, our time, but I think if we're going to keep working together going forward you need to learn you can't just come in here demanding to talk to folks whose turn it isn't." She sniffed and turned back to the sink. "Don't worry, you'll get to 'talk' to Dennis later." She said over her shoulder to the girl who immediately blushed at that. Looking uncomfortable, Casey hesitated before turning and practically stormed out of the kitchen. The discussion in the living room paused for a moment but then resumed. 

 

When Joseph turned back he found Polly looking at him up and down. There was quite a smile paired with the look before she murmured "why hello there," and Joseph felt himself flush. Before he could excuse himself she tossed him one of the hand towels. "Make yourself useful, young man, and help me with the drying." Unable to deny such a reasonable request he took up one of the pots and did as he was told. The work didn't take long but by the end of it he was quick to excuse himself back to the living room, Polly's ogling being so blatant he didn't quite know what to do.

 

In the living room he found the three had concluded whatever it was they'd been discussing and now the two men seemed to wait as Victoria scribbled on a sheet of paper.

 

"Joseph," his dad said with a nod. "Joseph will come too," he said to the others and Victoria looked up as he approached, seeming to almost scowl. 

 

"Really?" She asked and glanced over at David. "Are you going to use the same logic again?" She pursed her lips in irritation at something. Elijah appeared equally annoyed and Joseph worried what he'd walked into as he gripped the back of one of the chairs.

 

"The same logic holds," his father muttered, taking the sheet of paper Victoria tore off and handed him. "What? Are you going to hold my son hostage to ensure my cooperation?" Joseph looked at Victoria in worry at that. The woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

 

"No, David," she said after a rather dramatic exhale. "You are taking on a risk going out and we are taking on a risk by sending most the cash we have with you. I don't think you appreciate the amount of trust we are currently demonstrating. We already talked about this, if you and Joseph want to leave you are welcome to do so but please don't take my money with you." With another dramatic inhale and exhale she added, "Honestly, I'd much rather you let me go."

 

"I'm the errand boy, being sent out to do the shopping," his father dryly remarked when Joseph looked at him for an explanation. There was the faintest quirk to his lips as he held up the paper and Joseph realized two things- first was that his father was actually making a joke and second was that his father's sense of humor might just get them killed. Victoria clearly was about to have a fit and Elijah was looking far scarier than he remembered the man ever being.

 

"How'd you get tapped for this mission?" Joseph quickly asked, trying to strike a balance between both sides. "You're an old man, you'll probably count out the wrong change or something." David snorted and Victoria pressed her lips together.

 

"Your father thinks he's less conspicuous than we are," Victoria muttered and Joseph looked between her and Elijah. 

 

"Well...." Joseph said carefully and Victoria just huffed as she turned away in irritation. "Polly," he heard her murmur in greeting as she disappeared into the kitchen. Elijah just gave both Dunns a hard look before unlocking his wheels and rolling into the hallway.

 

"Dad," Joseph whispered a little frantically, "could you maybe try a bit harder?" He glanced about to make sure they were alone and then back to his father who looked almost hurt.

 

"How?" David asked in slow confusion. "I'm already working with crazy people and murders. I've got their shopping list right here and I'm going to go pick up every stupid item on this list. How is that not trying hard enough?"

 

With a wince Joseph spoke carefully, "It's just... we're all stressed here and you're just kind of acting like a jerk." His father gave him a look and Joseph raised both hands. "I'm just saying. If you want to leave, I'll go with you. But I think our best bet is with them. And, I mean, aren't you even a little curious? About others like you?" Joseph gave his father an imploring look and the man sighed.

 

"Yeah, maybe," he mumbled, looking at the list in his hands.

 

"Well, Dad, I think you might have to work on the sense of humor if you're hoping to make any new... non-enemies," he offered with a quick correction at the look his father gave him. David Dunn never made friends. It was something his dad used to say jokingly and something his mother referenced continuously since the divorce. "Also, I know you and Elijah and the Horde have a past but, come on, you gotta get Victoria on your side if you want this to work." His father scowled and looked away. "What? How can you not get along with Victoria? She visited you for months, do you-" Joseph dropped his voice and looked around. "Dad, come on."

 

"She roped you into this," David muttered, keeping his voice low as well. "She's the reason you're in this mess and I can't-"

 

"Dad!" Joseph reached out and gripped his father's arm. "Don't. We talked about this. I chose to help. I'd choose to do so again. They were torturing you there! There's no way I'd be able to just live my life happy and normal while you were there. If- if, you know, tossing it all out the window and starting over is what it took to get you out of the, I'm happy to have done so. And I did. So... you know, let's not screw up this chance we have because if they ditch us I'm... I'll get worried then. Your cooking in no way compares to Barry's or Victoria's."

 

There was a pause and then Joseph was pulled into a hug by his father that knock the wind from his lungs. After a second he returned the embrace, patting the old man on his back and feeling comforted in a way he hadn't for years. Pulling back both men blinked away any hint of tears in their eyes. 

 

"Well, I'll just go out and grab all this," David said and cleared his throat. "Did you want to come with or..?" Joseph shook his head.

 

"I've got faith you can hand this," Joseph said with a grin, "what good is super strength for if not carrying the groceries?"

 

* * *

 

"There you are!" Dennis heard Casey say and then she'd grabbed his hand in hers and was dragging him down the hallway. Dennis stumbled along in confusion, barely having adjusted to being in the Light and still without his glasses. She opened the door and pushed him into the room before quickly closing it behind herself. The way she leaned up against it had Dennis's eyes widening. She wasn't being coy, he had to tell himself that repeatedly. He was confused, misreading signals again. But the way she looked at him made it hard to filter the truth out from all the distractions that flooded his thoughts. 

 

"I've been waiting to talk to you," she said and it sounded almost like a complaint, as if it were his fault that the others wanted and, he struggled to remember, deserved time in the Light throughout the day. Again, his mind leapt ahead, having a number of suggestions as to what she might want to talk to him about. Rubbing a hand across his mouth, he struggled to keep his thoughts on track while Casey looked at him in a way he didn't understand. "Have the others given you a hard time?" She asked, which was not any of the number of questions he was expecting.

 

"No. No one has," he cleared his throat and did not feel like mentioning the conversation earlier that day before the mirror and the role she'd played in it. "Why would they?" He frowned. "Has anyone given you a hard time? David, he knows you killed your uncle, has he-" he'd clenched his fists but Casey shook her head.

 

"No, though Victoria won't stop asking about the kiss." Casey looked away when she mentioned it and Dennis tensed. Patricia had let everyone near the Light during the entire discussion and the group had heard everything. Thankfully no one had gotten up the nerve to ask him directly about it but he worried about what Patricia would eventually say now that she knew.

 

"We- we all heard what you said," he explained, "I apologize if you'd been hoping for Hedwig-"

 

"Don't be dense, Dennis. Of course I was trying to help you take the Light. I don't think either of us would appreciate the rest of them knowing that though," Casey rolled her eyes and Dennis rubbed suddenly sweaty palms on his pants legs. So the kiss had been meant for him. She hadn't exactly kissed him, she'd kissed the Beast, but it was about as close as he'd ever been to someone kissing him. Someone wanting to kiss him. 

 

"That's- that's not why I wanted to talk to you though," she hastened to add and he felt both disappointed and relieved. It was foolish to think she'd want to do so again, that she'd pulled him in here to further what she started. A cold fear gripped him as he wondered if she only wanted to kiss the Beast. The Beast was the one with powers like her, it made sense that she'd want to be with someone like that, to be near someone like that. To be near someone extraordinary was certainly an urge he understood.

 

"Dennis," she said and he realized he'd gotten distracted again and failed to answer a question. To even hear it in fact over his racing thoughts and pounding heart. Passages from Foucault chose now to echo through his head, in no way helping.

 

"What?" He mumbled and tried to look somewhere else. He expected some sort of irritation or annoyance but she just repeated her question.

 

"The compulsions. Do they ever," she gulped and moved away from the door, "do they ever go away?" She sat on the bed, presumably for lack of anywhere else to sit, and he rather wished she hadn't. 

 

"No," he said and continued to try to look anywhere in the room but at her. Glancing at the mirror certainly didn't help, it showed him the two of them which in a way was worse than just looking at her directly. He wondered how she would react if he sat on the bed a well, obviously far on the other side, but still on it with her. Victoria had tolerated Patricia doing so. She'd in fact tolerated quite a lot. Dennis wondered what it would be like if Casey let him run his hands through her hair the way Victoria had let Patricia do so. 

 

"Not even a little bit?" Casey pressed, "not even for a little while?" Dennis closed his eyes and tried to focus on her question. "Surely the Beast's does otherwise...?"

 

With a sigh Dennis shared what he could. "Obviously after he has... fed there is a period of time that's... better." He frowned. "It... Actually, yes, I am a little better able to... handle... things after he has." Last night he’d handled the fact that he was coated with blood quite well all things considered.  Even now there was no distressing thoughts as he looked at the rumpled bed sheets Casey sat upon. The sight did distress him, but not for the sort of unreasonable or unfathomable motives it might sometimes have. He hadn't ever made the connection before but she was right and he couldn't help but look at her now in curiosity. "Why?"

 

Casey shifted uneasily. "I... I just don't feel it, right now."

 

"Why would you?" He asked with a sense of dread. 

 

"Well, since..." She drew a breath. "Since... we met, I've... it's been tied to," she clearly didn't want to say what she was about to and therefor finished in rush. "The compulsions have been tied to the Beast's kills. I have a mark for each one. It used to be when my uncle would do something or when I wouldn't do something. If I couldn't tell someone or I didn't take an opportunity to..." She finally ran out of words and left them both in a painful silence. Dennis stared at her in horror and she again shifted awkwardly where she sat. "Since I killed him those ones stopped." 

 

"But... the others," he couldn't help himself. "Where?" To his horror and delight Casey leaned back and pulled up the hem of her shirts, revealing the myriad of marks across the skin above her hip. Some clearly quite old but the ones that trailed down to disappear under the waist of her jeans looked newer. Dennis made a strangled sound as she hooked her thumb through a belt loop and tugged her pants lower to expose more, one of which was disturbingly recent. 

 

His fingers itched to trace the marks, simply for the joy of touching her but also to realize the impact They'd had on her, to feel the manifestation of her compulsions. He quickly ran a hand over his head and then clasped both behind himself to reduce temptation. It didn't help that Casey continued to watch him calmly, taking in his reaction to this and showing no particular emotion on her part.

 

"Wh- who?" He asked, clearly looking at the most recent mark. He rolled his bottom lip under his teeth and had to close his eyes as Casey lightly traced the cut in question.

 

"Jeff's babysitter," she said and there was the sound of shifting fabric. Dennis nodded and waited a bit longer before opening his eyes to find her mercifully, unfortunately sitting straight again and fully covered. "But I don't feel anything today and it... it frightens me."

 

Slowly Dennis nodded. "It-," he cleared his throat, "yes, it is probably because of last night. You... You did what you had to. You acted on your instincts, used your powers, and... I think you're right. That does help." Knowing that she was here coming to him for help made his wandering thoughts all that much worse. He had to focus, to be useful. "Why would it frighten you?" He asked, trying to understand.

 

Drawing her legs up onto the bed, she wrapped her arms around her knees in a gesture he was becoming familiar with. It was one made when she was vulnerable, when she'd heard or thought something that she didn't know how to quite handle, and he worried that what he'd said upset her. "I'm worried I'm going to turn into the Beast," she whispered and he stared at her with wide eyes.

 

"D- Do you feel the urge-" he started to stutter in shock but she thankfully cut him off.

 

"No!" She shook her head and then laughed. "God, no, not like that. Which, I guess," she looked up at him and smiled, "thanks, that's a good reminder that I'm not actually becoming like him." She shook her head again and lowered it to stare at the floor. "I'm worried that I wont care about people, that I'll become a heartless killer like him. Because I could," she glanced up at him. "I think I could kill a lot of people, if I wanted to."

 

Letting out the breath he'd been holding, Dennis felt shaken to his core. "You could," he agreed. "You could, and you chose to use your power to help us." He ran a hand over his head and gulped. "Thank you." They had once thought the Beast would help them, that he would protect the broken. The truth was the Beast had only protected himself. Casey, however, had powers and used them them to help others. She was fulfilling the dream that he and Patricia shared.

 

* * *

 

Dennis seemed to wobble a bit and then moved to sit on the far edge of the bed in a daze. He looked quite shaken and she gave him a moment before she tentatively scooted over towards him. When he rubbed his face she reached out to pat him on the shoulder and he froze. Casey kicked herself for acting on her dumb idea. Seeing him look so out of sorts reminded her of how she'd failed to help Victoria earlier. If she comforted Dennis now perhaps in a way she'd be making up for her earlier failure or at least repaying the favor to Patricia.

 

"I didn't mean to suggest you're a heartless killer or anything," she said and bit her lip. He'd gone form thanking her to looking like she'd punched him in the gut and she had no idea why. With a sigh she opted just to pat him on the back again. "Dennis, I need your help here," she said honestly. "David is kind of scary, Joseph and Victoria look like they're going to cry or faint at any moment, and I'm pretty sure the Elijah guy is just straight up actually crazy. You're the one of, well," she winced, still not quite sure how to phrase it.

 

"The group," he whispered as he carefully lowered his hands from his face. "We... we call everyone 'the group'" Casey nodded, thankful for the hint.

 

"You're the one in the group that I trust the most to be helpful and not freak out." There was a moment and Casey braced herself for a cutting remark from Patricia but there was just silence. 

 

Keeping his head bowed, Dennis eventually said, "thank you," but made no other motion.

 

With a heavy sigh, she rested her hand on his back and tried harder. "Dennis, that means I need you to not freak out, ok?" He drew a deep breath and held it. "I'm sorry I said the thing about being frightened. I didn't mean to upset you." She could feel him exhale and draw in another shaky breath.

 

"I'm not upset," he said and lifted his head to look at her. He certainly looked upset and the way he licked his lips certainly looked more nervous than usual. "I won't freak out," he said in a firmer voice. 

 

Nodding, she muttered "good" and patted him on the back again before pulling her hand back into her lap. "Thank you," she added. They both sat there for a moment and Casey knew with absolute certainty that she should mention the kiss. That it would be the right, adult thing to do. Just bring it up and talk through it and make sure it was no big deal. He'd just assured her that he wouldn't freak out. He was, however, once again staring at her with those sad blue eyes of his. That he did so wasn't surprising, he was often staring at her, but it suddenly felt very different when she sat so close to him.

 

Feeling herself flush, she quickly pushed herself off the bed. "Ah, thanks. For talking with me. And helping me work through... some things..." She licked her lips and backed towards the door. "Ok. I'll be... back in the living room if...you need anything." Dennis just continued to stare at her from the bed as she closed the door between them.

 

* * *

 

Elijah sat in the living room watching the chaos before him roil, tensions between individuals building up, the fugitive looks, the longing looks, the whispers, the occasional outbursts, the petty actions. He watched it all and felt a joy deeper and greater than he had in years. He was here, among his people. Yes, they were a barely functional group that looked able to tear itself apart at any moment by either purpose or accident. But it was a group he was part of. One where he sat with the majority, the powerful.

 

Before his discovery of David, Elijah had experienced brief periods of time among the socially exalted and prestigious. He'd on occasional brush elbows with the financial elite and creative super stars. People society would have labeled as his 'far betters' in its ignorance. They were nothing in comparison to the company he kept now. That these people were the more evolved made even their most mundane actions fascinating to him. 

 

In the hospital he'd in theory had the company of Horde and David but that was nothing like the messy unfold of domestic life that day spiraled into. David in the company of his son was almost like David from years ago, before he'd learned the truth and turned away from Elijah. It was strange to translate the stiff creature that was the Horde from the hospital into the mess they became in the company of the two women. And when it came to young Casey, Elijah worried he might be caught staring as often as Dennis did. He, Victoria, and Orwell had chatted briefly at one point, voices hushed, about the exact nature Casey's powers might manifest at a cellular level and the conversation had sent his mind spinning. He found himself grinning again at the very memory of it.

 

Now he sat slowly turning the device Victoria had given him. She'd explained how it'd been used and he continued to ponder it, rubbing at the dried blood trapped in the grooves that he couldn't reach. He also continued to ignore the presence of Hedwig sitting across from him. He didn't want to sound like Casey, but he agreed that Dennis's company was preferable over many of the others and anyone would have been preferable to Hedwig. 

 

Dennis had joined him after being dragged off into a back room with the young girl for a brief period. He moved as if in a daze when he'd taken a seat next to Elijah and it wasn't hard to guess what had happened. While some might frown at the age difference, Elijah felt that after fifteen years of his life lost to a series of institutions he could at least understand the urge to take whatever joy one could, wherever one could. Life was hard, if one could find any happiness- why judge them. The two men had just barely struck up a conversation about Alexandre Dumas, Elijah being delighted that he'd get to introduce Dennis to the author, when he was informed it was Hedwig's turn. 

 

There was another noisy sigh from Hedwig and Elijah refused to look over at him. Victoria stuck her head out from the kitchen. "Hedwig, leave him alone," she scolded before disappearing again. Elijah did briefly glance over at the man now, and tried to maintain a neutral expression.

 

"Twenty five more minutes," Casey muttered from the couch. "My guess is twenty five more minutes.... maybe less, probably more." She sighed dramatically from where she sprawled, one arm over her eyes and the other dangling to the floor. "They're doing, like, a speedrun of it. It's super annoying. I like it when they keep to the two to four hour shifts. Hedwig, Ansel doesn't get a turn till after we're all sleep, right?"

 

This caused Hedwig to sort of snort in amusement and Elijah pointedly did not look at him. He didn't want to encourage him. Children, they'd take the slightest opening. "Yeah. He doesn't want to hang out with any of you guys."

 

"Good, I don't want to hang out with him either. He's a jerk. Bernice, she's a jerk too. Did you guys ever have to deal with her?" Casey did lift her arm to look at him which he appreciated. He wished she'd go so far as to perhaps get up and save him from the child. Elijah shook his head and she continued to mutter under her breath unkind things about this Bernice alter. Hedwig sighed dramatically rested his head on arms folded atop the table.

 

"I'm bored," the man-child whined and it set Elijah's nerves on edge. "Casey, can I play with your phone? Do you have a phone I can play with?" Hedwig asked Joseph as the man walked into the room. Joseph understandably paused both at the sight and question. His father stepped past him and frowned.

 

"Great. Hedwig," David muttered and then continued on towards the kitchen. Elijah considered rolling in to join him, the tedium of Hedwig's company nearly overpowering his reluctance to be pressed into helping with whatever Victoria was doing.

 

"Ah, no," Joseph eventually replied, seeming to almost recoil a bit from Hedwig's imploring gaze. "You- I mean, Dennis threw mine and Victoria's out the car window last night, remember?" Joseph glanced at Elijah and Casey nervously before looking back to the slumped figure at the table. "So... you're, Hedwig? Nice- Nice to meet you." He smiled nervously and Elijah immediately re-evaluated the man's worth as this suddenly attracted Hedwig's full attention. 

 

While Victoria had proven valuable despite not having any powers, Joseph seemed to be nothing but a weight about their necks in Elijah's opinion. As the minutes ticked by and he continued to be spared Hedwig's attention he realized the David's son was at least good for something. Relieved, he turned back to the device and let his mind wander freely as he contemplated their situation.

 

Eventually Victoria and Dennis emerged from the kitchen baring bowls and some large pot of something steaming. The two seemed to have struck a truce of some sorts and everyone sat down to eat in relative peace. 

 

They were halfway through the meal when the phone on the desk began to ring.

 

Everyone paused, some with spoons half raised to their mouths, and turned to stare at the dated black plastic device completely ignored up until now. After about three rings the tension eased back a little. After about fifteen a sense of unease deeper than fright settled over the group. Eventually Casey carefully moved the cordless phone and it's base to the table where they all stared at it.

 

"Don't you dare touch it," Mr. Glass muttered. Everyone sat at the table surrounding the phone though only one of them visibly itched to touch it. Hedwig made a faint whining sound and dramatically tucked his hands under his arms. It was good he was on the far side of the table, with the way his legs were swinging he'd have kicked the already too taunt cord and ripped it out of the wall. 

 

"I'm going to touch it if it doesn't stop," David muttered, hands flat on the table. "I'm going to touch it right there at it's little power button. Jesus, what house even has a landline any more? Can we at least put it in silent mode?"

 

"No, no," Victoria flapped a hand at him after finishing another bite of soup. "I'm genuinely fascinated to see how long it'll go. If you touch it you'll probably press the wrong thing, accidentally hang up, and... and then we won't know." David stared at her, obviously finding her reason uncompelling.

 

"Maybe they're just friends of the AirBnB host?" Casey whispered, looking to Elijah who just shook his head. "... how did they find us?"

 

"Does the *69 thing still work?" He asked and Joseph just gave him a funny look. "I think- NO!"

 

"Hello?" Hedwig cried into the phone, jumping away from the table as Elijah pushed his chair back and started to roll towards the man. "Who is this?" Elijah cursed himself. He should have tried to get someone else into the Light when the phone became a problem. Children, you could just never trust them!

 

"Hedwig, no!" Victoria admonished, reaching out towards the man who danced out of her reach.

 

"Uh huh," he said, phone pressed to the side of his head with both hands. "Uh huh." David just continued to sit at the table, hands pressed flat, as he shook his head in disgust at the Horde's antics. "No, I can't drive," Hedwig explained to the mystery caller. "No, he can't drive either," Hedwig said, staring straight at Elijah. "Uuuuughhhh..." Hedwig rolled his eyes over to David. "Yeah, ok."

 

No one moved in the moment directly after Hedwig extended the phone towards David and then everybody moved at once. Elijah lunged for it though his chair was still too far around the table. Victoria caught him before he could fall but they knocked over several glasses and sent a bowl of soup clattering to the floor. They both turned to stare at David, phone carefully held to the side of his head. Casey had stood but Joseph had grabbed her arm and the two were trading wary looks. With extreme caution Joseph lifted his hand and seemed to wordlessly apologize to her.

 

"I see," David said carefully, slowly surveying the group. "No, you're not wrong. I don't see why that means I should listen to you. Tell me who you are right- Oh. Uh huh. I see." Mr. Glass felt his blood begin to boil as David turned away from them, tucking his arm against his side and continuing to talk into the phone. "I see. Yes. That should be doable." 

 

His irritation mounted as Victoria helped settle him back in his chair while David continued to chat. Just as Elijah managed to roll up to his side the man held the phone away from his head, the call clearly terminated. Everyone stared at David.

 

* * *

 

//Hello?//

 

Surprised to finally hear someone, the girl's feet dropped from the desk and she quickly sat up straight in her chair. "What the hell! Took you long enough to answer!"

 

//Who is this?//

 

Snapping her fingers to get the attention of the man on the far side of the room she said, "Cadence. My name is-" She paused when it sounded like a minor scuffle on the other end. Holding the phone away from her face, she stared at it in confusion for a moment. She could hear someone cry "Hedwig, no!" in the background. When the commotion stopped she held the phone close and tried to continue. "-my name is Cadence. We've met before, I took Jeff. Remember?" Her partner had wandered over to her now from the wet bar, bottle in hand. 

 

//Uh huh.//

 

Standing up from the chair, she began to slowly pace the room. "I know we said before that we couldn't help but it looks like the situation has changed." Here she winced slightly, knowing how bad it sounded, "I work with powerful people and we are very interested in you, all of you. We would like to help."

 

//Uh huh.//

 

She paused, somewhat disturbed at the tone of voice. "Er- great. Can you meet me somewhere?" She hadn't really been expecting such flat acceptance of her opening move.

 

//No, I can't drive.//

 

"Ugh- ok" she held her hand to the mouthpiece. "I think this is the retarded one," she whispered before returning to the call. "Is there- is there someone else more responsible there? Could he meet us?" Her eyes flicked back and forth over the hotel room's cheap wallpaper. This was not one of the ways she had planned on this conversation going.

 

"Who else would have picked up the phone," the man next to her muttered under his breath. He settled into the chair she'd just vacated. 

 

//No, he can't drive either.//

 

Nudging her glasses up, she pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes in frustration. "Really, there's nobody? I have a hard time believing there's nobody there who can drive." She definitely felt like she was talking to a child and wished anyone else was here instead to handle this portion of the job. This was not the sort of work she imagined she'd be doing when she'd joined the group.

 

//Uuuuughhhh..//

 

"Listen- do you want help or not? Put someone more responsible on the line," she finally snapped making a frustrated chopping hand gesture. Her friend just raised a skeptical eyebrow. There was a moment of silence and then what sound like a crash suddenly muffled by a face pressed to the phone. Desperate to get the conversation going she said quickly "This is Cadence, I'm calling to offer help." 

 

//I see.//

 

The response was slow and measured. Frustrated with how things were going, it was struggle to contain her temper. "Just so we're clear, I know everything about all of you. There's 6 of you- Cooke, Crumb, two Dunns, Price, and a Varati. You all made it, right? Escaped last night after quite the fuck up resulting in a serious body count. Did I get any of that wrong?" She wanted to spook him with her knowledge but also secretly wanted confirmation she was right. There had been some skepticism that the lot of them would make it through the night intact. She wasn't the only one who was worried they were a greater threat to each other than the guards at the hospital had ever been. 

 

//No, you're not wrong. I don't see why that means I should listen to you. Tell me who you are right-//

 

"My name is Cadence," she explained for the third and hopefully final time. Resting her head in her hand, she spoke in a weary voice. "I'm calling you from a hotel in Baltimore. I've met with Casey and... the murder guy before."

 

//Oh.//

 

"I work with Powerful people- it's a euphemism, get it?" she asked, trying to lighten the tone. The man on the other line clearly needed to be put at ease if they were going to get anywhere.

 

//uh huh//

 

"-who are interested in you guys and want to help out. Now that you've, you know, helped yourself a bit first." She winced slightly at that, not looking forward to talking to the Casey girl again. Her companion looked like he was getting bored, taking a sip of his drink and leaning far back in the desk chair.

 

//I see.//

 

With a rolling hand gesture, she started the speal finally. "I'm hoping we can meet up in Harrisburg. Obviously I'd like to tell you more about our organization and I have some assets I've been instructed to pass onto you even if you're not interested in our offer. Useful assets."

 

//I see.//

 

Not liking his tone, she tried to clarify the situation. "Clearly if we meant you harm we'd be able to roll in and fuck you up right now. We know who you are, we know where you are, and we've a pretty good idea what you are. Understand?" There was only a slight pause before he answered.

 

//Yes.//

 

"But that's not what we want," she continued, again rolling her arm and smiling. She tried to sound nice. "We just want to be friendly, say hi, have a little chit chat. Just myself and my associate Blue, we'd love to meet up with you tomorrow at noon, let's say at the National Civil War Museum. We'll roll in at noon and wait an hour to see if you guys feel like showing up. Think that might work?" Blue again raised his eyebrows, equally curious and without clue on how they'd take the offer.

 

//That should be doable.//

 

The girl visibly relaxed at that and nodded to her companion. "Great. I'd give you guys my number but you all ditched your phones, I'm so proud of you, I'll be honest, really thought you'd make that newbie mistake." She grinned to herself. "But anyway, no use in contacting us, we'll contact you. Just show up at the museum between noon and 1 tomorrow and we'll say hi. Bye now!" Quickly she ended the call before they could say anything. 

 

"Ugh," she said, slumping back against the wall. "I hate using a cheerful voice."

 

"You sound like a telemarketer," the man took another swig from his bottle. "Think they'll show?"

 

"Fuck if I know. Sorta' hope not." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that got long and way too mopey, apologies. Next one is "Q&A"
> 
> Gah, all the new Glass trailers (which I continue to not watch) are killing me! One more month.... Apparently Shyamalan's first cut of Glass was over 3 hours long? Be still my obsessive, detail desiring heart! Maybe we'll get such a cut some day...
> 
> This ends what I think of as Part 2. Excellent time to exit the narrative train if you're not interested in getting buried under further OCs and world building. I'm committed to marking this puppy as "Complete" before the film is out but... gah... am worried about the amount of material to cover. I think there's a good chance I'll cut Part 3 down to something more reasonable and then later spin out a second (shorter) story to pick up the trimmings.
> 
> Once again, many thanks to you few brave souls who are on this journey with me. Just passed 100k posted words and I worry no one else will brave such an undertaking again with the foreknowledge of how stupidly long this is. Editing? Bah! This is fan fiction, nothing but pure self indulgence! I'll write every fucking scene that strikes my fancy!


	12. Q & A

"I fucking told you she'd have a gun," the girl complained to her companion, raising her hands in the universal don't shoot gesture. "Put that thing away, we are in a public space! Nobody's shooting anybody! That's why we chose it, come on." 

 

"I've got a gun too," the man grinned at Casey, wiggling his eyebrows. "Bet mine's bigger." Casey just rolled her eyes and she heard a disapproving tisk from Patricia. She resented the girl's reaction, it wasn't like she was waving the gun about. She'd flashed it for only a second before returning it to her hoodie pocket, though she clearly continued to grip it and cover them. As someone who had held her at gunpoint for an extended period of time, Casey didn't think the girl was in a position to complain. 

 

"We're here now," David muttered, looking around the crowd carefully. "What do you want?"

 

"You know, once you're shooting in a public space you're shooting in a public space. You shouldn't be in a melee position, you know?" the girl said to Casey with an enthusiastic and friendly tone. "Seems like you'd be a bit better standing further off." She glanced at the glares everyone, including her companion, gave her. "Hey, just trying to offer some friendly tactics advice. You guys are clearly pretty new at this." The girl craned her neck, looking around. "Where's Mr. Glass? I can't wait to meet that guy..." she said under her breath and Casey felt a tingle of concern. 

 

"Cadence- it's Cadence, right?" David asked with a smile and an extremely cold tone. "Are you going to explain what's going on or are we leaving?" Casey noticed that with their constant, gentle shifting to blend in with the crowd, David had failed to lay hands on either of the weird strangers so far.

 

The girl laughed, "Great, you're going to agree to come with us already? Didn't think I'd get to a 'yes' so easily!" David immediately turned and started to walk away, Patricia and Casey quick to follow, but all three stopped when the girl cried out in a different tone of voice, "Wait!"

 

Turning back they found her rubbing her hands on her shirt and looking around while her companion continued to just stand there stone faced and silent. "Dude, you guys, you're a team of four powerful individuals who just fucking fucked up a lot of people the other night," she ended her sentence in a whisper, glancing about the crowd fearfully. "Cut a girl some fucking slack. I joke when I'm nervous, and I'm really fucking nervous right now. Imagine how you're feeling? But, like, with half as many super powers on your side, you know? And people."

 

"But we have more guns," her companion added.

 

"You said you work for someone," David approached the now clearly nervous young woman, sparing the man only a brief disapproving glance.

 

"Yeah. And she told me to come here and collect you guys," she winced and held up a hand, "'Collect' is a creepy word, no- she told me to try and convince you to join us slash work for us." The girl took a nervous step back as David apparently got too near. "Jesus, just stop for a second. You're creeping me out. I'll let you do the hand thing just..." She glared at Casey who, against her better judgement, was beginning to believe the girl was actually as scared as she sounded. "You- you put that gun away. I saw the footage and you are seriously freaking me out."

 

The pride Casey felt in that was stunning and she was almost a little disturbed by her own reaction. She glanced over at David and Patricia. Both sort of shrugged and seemed reluctant to make clear their feelings. Casey paused for a moment and then with a heavy sigh drew both her hands out of her pockets and clearly raised them. Now both Patricia and Dennis reacted, apparently unhappy with her decision to demonstrate such faith but Casey didn't care. No one had elected them the leaders and she felt like trusting the girl. If she'd been willing to put Jeff's life in the girl's hands then she should be willing to place her own there as well.

 

Cadence visibly relaxed with this gesture of good will and even the big guy loosened up a bit, though he continued to eye David warrily. She still though letting David tag along was a bad idea, it should have been just her and Patricia- or better yet her and Dennis- confronting these two alone. Casey was again tickled by the question of who would win in a fight. Her opinion had been revised somewhat since they last met.

 

"No, really," the girl looked around again. "Where is Mr. Glass? He is here, right?" She looked nervous.

 

"Yes, but we want some questions answered first," David said and the girl dramatically sighed. "Why should we go with you, where would we go, and who are you."

 

"And what can you do?" Casey added, smiling in a far from friendly manner.

 

The pair exchanged glances and the man just shrugged. The girl raised her hands to scrub at her face before she let out a defeated sigh. "Mine's really more of a mental thing. One of those brain ones, kind of like Mr. Glass's." She gave Casey a nervous glance. There was a pause and the girl muttered, "Come on, Blue."

 

"I touch you, you kind of open up. Or maybe close," the man said with a shrug, his Russian accent thick and nearly comical.

 

"Wait, like, emotionally?" Casey asked, "Or physically...?" Patricia looked rather horrified and the weird girl choked back a laugh.

 

"What? No, physically," the man said, bringing the edges of his hands together, fingers stiff, and then moved them apart. Casey shook her head in confusion but realized she probably didn't actually want to know the full details just then. Take away was to avoid the man's touch, that was about all she needed to know.

 

"Nothing else?" David asked, giving the man a hard look. With a sigh, the man who was apparently named Blue shrugged and nodded.

 

"Yeah, ok, I'm kind of strong and fast too." Casey looked from Blue to the girl who sighed, shaking her head. 

 

"Not all powers a created equal," she muttered, sounding almost sullen. "But not all drawbacks are as bad." The statement felt like a punch to the gut and Casey immediately looked around the group. No one else seemed as struck as she had been by the statement but she traded a significant look with the girl.

 

* * *

 

"What do you think, my dear?" Patricia asked, turning towards her, and Victoria blinked rapidly in surprise. It was clear from the way the Cadence girl rolled her eyes that not everyone cared what she thought. 

 

"It- It- They seem quite reasonable," she stammered, flattered to have her advice sought but unprepared to express her rational. "We should clearly go with them, I mean, there really isn't any other more reasonable alternative." Patricia pursed her lips in thought before flashing her a smile and patting her clasped hands in thanks. Victoria realized she was blushing as others added their thoughts on the matter, not all if it asked for the way her opinion had been.

 

Eventually it was agreed upon that, indeed, they would travel with these random two individuals to Chicago to meet up with some potential employer. Because, as Casey so blandly put it, what else were they going to do? It did rather seem like their plan of action had come to them rather than the other way around. 

 

David, Norma, and Blue discussed car logistics while Joseph hovered near by. Victoria felt she could add quite a bit to the conversation but didn't want to appear so desperate to be included the way Joseph did. It made her incredibly self conscious when she thought about how they were the only two without some abnormal ability. Instead, she chose to limp over towards where Casey and Mr. Glass tried to stay out of sight, now apparently joined by Cadence.

 

"Oh, yeah, see- the fan clubs are were a lot of us started to meet up," Cadence was explaining to Mr. Glass as Victoria walked up. Hearing this, she slowed and found herself listening with wide eyes. "Like, yeah, you're going to get a lot of crazies who are just crazy, for admirers for a guy like you. But comparatively speaking it's like moths to a flame for people like us." The girl leaned forward on the bench she sat on, palms on knees and a glint in her eye. "But everything you say- it just really resonates once you realize you've got powers, you know? I personally know of at least six from there, though only one ever joined us. We did ask another two but they turned us down." The girl nodded to herself, grinning. "Your fan club attracts a lot of... strong personalities, you know?"

 

"Not really," Elijah breathed, apparently a little star struck with his own fame. A frowning Casey appeared to be watching the two closely though Victoria couldn't tell if it was distrust or dislike.

 

"Are you one of the fans that tried to visit Mr Glass at the hospital?" Victoria asked, hand to her heart as she recalled Ms. Price's ominous warnings from when they first met. Cadence snorted and rolled her eyes.

 

"No, I'm way younger than that," she looked to Elijah and explained, "Earlier on I heard some like us tried to visit you, a couple got in, but someone got caught. I don't even know by who, but it sort of put the jinx on the whole idea. I've only been, you know," she lifted her fingers to form air quotes, "'awakened' for a couple years so I'm pretty new to the game."

 

"The game?" Casey asked in an unhappy tone of voice. 

 

"Oh, you know. The deal. The way it is. Life," the girl shrugged and looked around her small audience. "I mean... you give a small handful of people weird super powers, and usually only after they've been severally fucked in the head, you're going to get some fucked up results."

 

* * *

 

Jade drummed her fingers on the door and stared out the car window. While she absolutely loved driving, it immediately became unbearable to be in a car when she was no longer behind the wheel. Thankfully given their solitary nature up until recently it hadn't really been an issue. She now totally understood Hedwig's whining because she felt the urge to ask, just one more time, why she couldn't drive. She knew why, but still, it both bored and bothered her.

 

"I don't get it," the girl said, squinting at her from the other side of the back seat. "If you're not happy, why be here? Why not make one of the other ones endure this car ride? I know I'd peace out if I could." They were only two hours into what was likely to be a ten hour drive and Jade already wanted to kill their latest traveling companion.

 

"Fuck off," Jade muttered and looked out the window. She knew Joseph looked back at her in worry and she thought him an idiot for doing so. Barry and Polly may think he was hot stuff but Jade found him to be far too delicate to be interesting. She briefly regretted that things hadn't turned out differently and she'd have gotten to ride with the Russian guy. He at least seemed quite capable of shutting the fuck up.

 

* * *

 

She knew she was supposed to be paying attention but it was hard to focus for so long on someone who did absolutely nothing. Again Casey let her unnatural sight slip out of the car and skip amongst the other vehicles along the road. It was a dizzying sort of feeling but she figured it counted as particle or something. Unfortunately none of cars she could reach carried the other half of the party. Opening her eyes she glanced out the window and after a moment fond them a ways back. She instructed Blue to slow down and let then catch up once again and went back to closing her eyes. 

 

David continued to silently loom at their driver from the seat right behind him. At this point the behavior seemed almost rude and Casey wondered if the man ever gave it a break and loosened up. A quick check on their Mr Glass suggested he was asleep but looking closely Casey doubted it. Feigning sleep seemed like an reasonable action at this point and she suppressed the urge to sigh. Only another five more hours of this. She'd though the hunting trips with her uncle had taken forever to get to but they were definitely paling in comparison to this road trip from hell.

 

* * *

 

As the laughter died down, Victoria dabbed at her eyes and grinned. She glanced back at Barry in the rear view mirror and marveled at the degree of charm the man seemed to exude. Even being aware of it, knowing it was likely an intentional act didn't diminish its effect. 

 

"Did she wear it?" Joseph asked, twisted around in the passenger seat next to her and grinning back at the man. The girl behind him punched his seat in a not-too-threatening way before Barry could respond.

 

"Don't ask, doofus! Either she did or she didn't, knowing will dispel the mystery," she scolded. While the tone wasn't too unfriendly the words were a bit too cutting, just like every remark she'd made towards Victoria and Joseph so far. The good humor Barry had been carefully cultivating for the last hour dissipated a bit and Victoria fought back an urge to sigh. While she personally was quite used to random unkind remarks from patrons at the library, Joseph seemed to take such criticisms personally. Ducking his head he started to turn back around in his seat when Barry reached forward and gripped his arm. Glancing over at the contact, briefly worried by it, Victoria noticed him give the man's bicep a squeeze.

 

"Actually, I don't know and truly wish I did. I'd like to think she did and was seen for the cow she was," Barry remarked in a casual way, glancing at Cadence. "But there was a spot of trouble then and I was out of the Light for, like, a week and afterwards I never could find any photos or video of the event." He shrugged and leaned back in his seat. Joseph smiled at him and settled back as well, staring out at the pack of cars keeping pace with them as they sped across the country. While he didn't notice the glare Barry gave Cadence, Victoria caught sight of it quite well in the rearview mirror.

 

"If that was the best outfit you ever designed I am dying to hear about the worst," Victoria joked in a light tone, though it took effort. Barry lept at the opening, as expected, and launched into yet another delightful narrative as the miles and hours creeped by

 

* * *

 

Elijah stared out the window, unable to fein further sleep for the last three hours. He resented being in the car with the solemn silent half of the party. He'd gotten the impression Casey was more outgoing than this but she had proven to be no chattier than the other two so far. The long stretches of silence were becoming almost painful. The brief interruptions during which they listened to the news proved more distressing than the silence.

 

When the traffic thinned out and Casey reminded their driver to slow down they'd occasionally catch sight of the other car and the members within it. The last time they'd been within line of sight it seemed everyone had been laughing and chatting and Elijah had felt a pang of sadness. The fact that the young woman who seemed quite enthusiastic about his opinions was sitting in the other car also rankled him but there was no more arguing to be had about the division. And if what she said was true, they would have plenty of time in the future to talk more.

 

With a heavy sigh, Elijah asked once again for the news to be turned on. Casey reached forward to do so and they all braced for the latest developments in the search for themselves.

 

* * *

 

"What's that?" Victoria asked, twisting back around in the passenger seat. Joseph glanced back in the rear view mirror and saw the guilty look that flashed across Luke's face. 

 

"Ahhhh..." The man shifted in his seat, flashing yet another grin at the unimpressed Cadence and tucked his hands into his pockets. He had been in the middle of a one-sided discussion about the merits of different exercise equipment, apparently fidgeting with something, when Victoria had interrupted. 

 

"Luke," Victoria said in a warning tone of voice and Cadence seemed to snort in amusement though Joseph didn't know why. He was the first alter, aside from Barry, who seemed interested in befriending the young woman but she was acting as rude to him as she did to the other two passengers in the car. 

 

"It's, ah, just something Rakel picked up at the last rest stop," he mumbled, looking out the window. Victoria glanced over to Joseph and looked worried.

 

"Rakel? When did Rakel,ah, show up?" she asked in a wary tone of voice. Luke rubbed at a smudge on the window, seemingly engrossed in the action. There was a too long of pause and she repeated the man's name with an even firmer warning note.

 

"What?" He snapped, still looking out the window. "You going to turn us over to David?" A sudden tension fell over the car, Cadence watching the exchange intensely. Again Joseph and Victoria traded a look.

 

"Why would I turn you over to David?" the woman asked in a gentler tone. Without looking away from the window, Luke pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket and held them up briefly for everyone to see before tucking them away. Joseph focused on the road, a worried expression on his face while Victoria breathed out a sigh. "Dennis's prescription?"

 

Luke just shrugged. "Close enough, I think." Cadence finally seemed interested in the man as she grinned at him.

 

"You're a pickpocket?" Cadence asked in an eager tone of voice. "Or did you just beat someone up and take their glasses? Man, did we leave a body behind at the rest stop?" She sounded far too excited by the prospect, going so far as to twist and look out the back window as if the flashing lights of police would already be closing in on them. Joseph felt a little sick to his stomach and again checked to make sure he wasn't exceeding the speed limit. He wished more of these alters could behave like normal people, like Barry, Polly, and Jade. 

 

"What? Jeeze, no!" Luke cried out, twisting back to face the rest of the group. "I'm not like Dennis or Patricia, jeeze." Victoria twitched at that but said nothing as Luke scratched at his neck and explained further. "Rakel can pick pockets, yeah. I don't know where she got them exactly, she needs space to work so I wasn't watching when she took them. I don't know, maybe they were in a car and she was just asking for Ansel. You can never tell with those two," he ended in a gloomy mutter.

 

Cadence seemed to pout for a moment, disappointed at the lack of mayhem perhaps, and then asked "When's Rakel's turn? I want to meet her." Luke just shook his head and looked out the window.

 

* * *

 

"Hedwig, Hedwig!" David could hear Victoria calling as he stepped out of the car. Several joints cracked but he didn't feel that worse for wear after the punishingly long drive. Years of standing security at various events had trained him to remain alert during these sort of tedious but potentially dangerous jobs. Casey on the other hand seemed to sag a bit after she exited the car and he was disappointed to see her hurry so quickly to help Victoria chase down a Hedwig who apparently seemed intent on wandering down the street. 

 

Turning, David stared at the large man who unfolded himself from the driver's seat. Blue hadn't complained even once during the trip about being stuck in the driver's seat. The two observed each other for a moment, assessing the other, clear that there was a threat but apparently both unsure of how much of one the other presented. Elijah rapped his knuckles on the window, breaking the stare down and causing David to sigh. Blue smirked and reached in the car to thumb the trunk open. 

 

Joseph had hurried over by that point and the two of them wrangled the chair from the back of the car and set it up so Elijah could carefully transfer to it. After months trapped in the hospital with the man, David was surprised how reasonable Elijah's company seemed, especially in comparison to everyone else's.  David appreciated that Elijah seemed equally disappointed by the two women turning their full attention to the Horde and ignoring their still potentially dangerous guides. 

 

"How'd your ride go?" Elijah murmured to Joseph as he arranged the blanket over his lap. The young man ran a hand through his hair and looked exhausted. 

 

"She's... not very nice," he said in a weary voice. "What about you guys?"

 

"Silent as the grave. But it did give us plenty of time to listen to the news." The two older men exchange glanced, both uneasy by what they'd heard. "I think it's good we got out of town when we did. They found the house we were staying at apparently." Joseph paled at the news. "The Russian fellow doesn't seem that bad," Elijah finished with and David nodded in reluctant agreement. He didn't like that the big man and girl were talking again several feet away in hushed voices, heads together. 

 

It was clearly Dennis who approached the cars again, flanked by the two women and wearing an unfamiliar pair of glasses. Before he could comment, Dennis stepped over to their guides and with a jerk of his head, sent them back towards the group. David exchanged a cautious nod with the man, thankful that someone else was at least paying attention to the threats.

 

"We're here!" Cadence exclaimed, arms flung wide and a grin on her face. The group seemed to collectively observe the industrial back street they'd parked on, a dim street light down the way providing poor illumination.

 

"Looks like a trap," Casey muttered, hands in pockets again, thankfully finally noticing what was going on.

 

"No jokes," Blue suddenly said, dropping a hand on his companion's shoulder. The girl sighed and nodded.

 

"It's that building there," she mumbled, pointing out one of the nondescript warehouses. "Do you want to go first or us to go first?" she asked, looking around. Catching sight of Casey she sighed dramatically. "Could you not?" she asked and Casey just shook her head, hands still in pockets and presumably gripping the weapon she carried.

 

To David's surprise Blue reached into his coat and casually drew out a rather large handgun, a Desert Eagle by the look of it. Everyone reacted but the man moved casually and held it loosely, pointed to the ground which prevented any particular outburst of violence. "See?" he grinned at the suddenly tense Casey. "Mine's bigger." Again he winked at the girl which seemed to please Dennis not at all. Carefully the man reversed it and handed the weapon to the girl, grip first. There was a pause and hesitantly Casey reached out to accept it. She, along with several others, gave him a bewildered look.

 

The man shrugged. "We're letting you into our home. With all of you there," he twirled a finger, "it's best we not fight. Don't want any of the others to get hurt. Just trying to make you feel welcome." With that he grinned, shrugged, and headed towards the indicated warehouse with his hands shoved into his pockets.

 

Casey stared at the large weapon she held before looking to David with wide eyes. Cadence seemed rather put out by this gesture of good will and frowned as Casey handed over the pistol to David. 

 

"I've never shot one of those," the girl muttered, "and Dennis doesn't like guns." David was happy enough to have the weapon and found the piece of information offered with it interesting, something to perhaps keep in mind for the future.

 

Glancing around, the girl caught Dennis's eye and with a jerk of the head the two headed towards the building as well. Victoria looked mildly panicked to be left behind and quickly started to limp after them, Joseph soon coming by to help her along. David looked down at Elijah and then over at Cadence who appeared to be actively struggling to not say something.

 

"Can't be worse than the hospital, can it?" Elijah asked, grinning, before he unlocked his wheels and rolled himself after the group. Left now only with the young girl, David sighed again. He looked at the cars they'd driven here in and regretted not collecting the keys to one in case he and Joseph had to make a hasty escape. Not wanting to wait till Cadence lost the fight against her self control, David fell in behind Elijah and walked towards the warehouse that held who knew what.

 

* * *

 

Casey hesitated, hand on the door Blue had just walked through. She glanced over again to Dennis. The new frames looked a little strange on him but she was happy he was there. There was something about the way he stood a half step behind her, arms crossed over his chest and lips pressed to a thin line, that made him look like a threatening bodyguard and she appreciated the support.

 

“Ready?” she asked to hide her nervousness but also to get one last reassurance, not that she needed it. There was an urge to reach out and give his hand a squeeze but she convinced herself it was foolish and resisted it. Instead she kept her other hand wrapped tightly around the grip of the gun in her pocket.

 

Dennis nodded, looking at her with a calm and expectant expression. She recalled what he'd said back in the hotel room, about following her lead, and she felt warmed by his faith in her. 

 

Pushing the door open did not find them face to face with a bushel of guns or a wall of threatening faces. In fact, they found themselves entering a very large space that despite still being a warehouse had a faintly homely vibe to it. There was a heavily laden coat rack next to the door with numerous shoes of various sizes and styles piled around the base of it. 

 

With her sight skittering out as far as possible, she could see Blue conversing with an older woman in the middle of a room and no one else. Licking her lips she looked back to Dennis and shrugged before stepping in. The pair looked up and the woman smiled broadly at them. Shorter and older than Blue and of some Asian descent that Casey couldn’t pinpoint, she held out gloved hands in a greeting as she approached them.

 

“Hello,” the woman said simply in a smooth voice that lacked any discernible accent. Having left the door open behind them, Casey just nodded and kept her eyes on the woman while at the same time watching Joseph help Victoria cross the threshold. Blue seemed to take up a casual stance where he was, arms clasped behind his back and calmly watched them.  

 

Open space was large and spanned several floors, Casey observed and felt an uneasy tingling sensation. It was the sort of space that could leave those on the ground floor vulnerable and open to attack or observation from above. There were a number of doors that lined the massive room and an open staircase that curved up towards the floors above. Off to one side there was a rather domestic looking setup with a number of chairs and couches, the walls in that area lined with bookcases.

 

The woman seemed unoffended by their lack of response, content to wait as they were for the rest of the group to catch up. Again Casey felt the urge to grab Dennis’s hand and again she felt ridiculous. She also wasn’t sure if feeling was inspired by a need to reassure herself or him.

 

When Elijah eventually arrived, he had rolled forward, past the others. Dennis glanced at her in question and when she nodded slightly he moved forward to stand next to the man. Casey felt an urge to be up front as well knew that, as Cadence had pointed out, she’d probably be best hanging back. 

 

"My name is... My own, and normal, and I'd rather not share it with you," the woman spoke with a smile that seemed to sit at odds with what she'd just said. "You may call me Ms Nagasaki. A pleasure to make all your acquaintances." 

 

A stiff hand was held out to Elijah.  The man stared at it for a moment before looking up to stare pointedly at this Ms Nagasaki. A heartbeat passed and then leather gloved hands met in a brief and visibly firm handshake. Once up, once down, and the woman pulled back her hand without breaking eye contact with him. The man just raised a careful eyebrow and silently watched as she moved to Dennis. Or at least, it had been Dennis. 

 

With one arm wrapped around waist, glasses now dangling in a loose grip and the other raised to rest a finger on lips, Patricia shook her head. She stared directly at the woman and made that gentle tisking sound that signaled her disapproval. It still put a slight shiver up Casey's back.

 

"I think not, Ms Nagasaki. Not until you share with us what this is," she stared at the extended woman's gloved hand. "I know what Mr Dunn can do with that."

 

"Indeed, as do I," The woman smiled widely at David, who had moved forward to stand alongside Patricia before their host. "And I so look forward to talking more at length with him about it. Let's say mine is different," she turned back to stare at Patricia, "and like his it cannot hurt you. But I'm sorry, I simply insist. I don't do business with anyone without shaking on it. I call it tradition." She winked at Patricia thought here was nothing particularly coy or friendly in the gesture. "But really. I insist."

 

Patricia seemed no more inclined to touch the woman than before she'd spoken. The awkward moment that could have escalated to more was headed off by David reaching forward to boldly clasp the hand. 

 

The woman immediately shifted to stare at him. Again the brisk up down motion but David inhaled sharply and caught her when she tried to let go. She in turn gasped and more forcefully pulled back, stumbling a step away as David exhaled and dropped her hand. Both of them were flushed and breathing heavily. Cadence and Blue immediately moved towards David when Ms Nagasaki threw up a halting hand.

 

"Jesus Chris, she's a murderer," David heaved, leaning on his knees. Patricia's eyebrows rose and she arched a delicate hand forward.

 

"Really?" She positively purred. "I'm Patricia, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." David continued to gasp, clearly overwhelmed by what he'd seen and though their host appeared to be recovered Casey could see her hand trembled a bit and her touch to Patricia was light and brief. 

 

"I would have said as much if you'd asked," Ms Nagasaki said over her shoulder to David before moving to stand in front of Casey. Patricia tipped her head to the side and watched Ms Nagasaki's hands, presumably waiting to see Casey's reaction. 

 

Staring into the woman's eyes told her nothing. She now looked fully recovered from David's encounter. Ms Nagasaki smiled warmly and continued to hold her hand out as Casey struggled against an urge to refuse. David's power only told him what misdeeds you'd done, how bad could this woman's be? She felt uncomfortable stepping so knowingly into the unknown. Could she really believe this woman had some super power touch... And if she did, was she really ok knowingly shaking her hand and inviting in or letting out... who knew what?

 

The fear that tickled her suddenly registered and she felt herself liberated momentarily by the realization. This was the fear of the 'what if', the unknown that had paralyzed her with years of inaction. She had to make a choice and immediately knew she wasn't going to risk their safety by making a scene. "Casey Cooke," she said, forcing a smile and gripping the woman's hand for the exactly correct duration. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking us in."

 

The woman nodded before moving on to Joseph and then Victoria. When she shook the woman's hand, her eyebrows rose briefly and Casey noted she carried it on a second longer before letting go and stepping back. Clasping her hands behind her back their host nodded towards the staircase. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. We've set up a couple rooms when it became clear you'd be heading this way. Find somewhere to settle in, freshen up, and then head on back down here to have a frank and open discussion of what's going on here."

 

"But what-" started Joseph but she spoke over him, raising a hand.

 

"All will be explained. But it will take a while and I don't want to stop for any bathroom breaks and I want people to know where they will be sleeping if we talk late into the night. It's already quite late. Please. Blue and Cadence can show you what's available.  Mr Glass, there’s an elevator there. I'll start some tea. Let's say twenty minutes?" Without waiting much for an answer she turned and walked the other way, presumably towards a kitchen.

 

"Oh, I like her," Patricia murmured before slipping the glasses back on and straightening his shoulders. With a brisk nod to Blue, Dennis said "Lead on."

 

* * *

 

In the end they selected four rooms, all down the same hallway on the second floor, which frankly surprised Mr. Glass. While he'd wheeled into the room they'd specifically made accessible for him, he was surprised to see Victoria suggest she and Casey share the room across the hall. It'd come as no shock that Dennis happened to right then claim the room next to the girls. There was something in his voice that made Elijah wonder if it's actually been Dennis who spoke up so quickly.

 

There had only been one room left in the hallway, next to his. While it was somewhat remarkable that Joseph opted to take the door across the hall from the sometimes-Barry, he was astonished that David so quickly suggested they double up. Elijah would have guessed David preferred sleeping far away from his fellow institute escapees. Well, he clearly would have wished for the girls and Joseph to be far away as well. Elijah was curious if there was any motivation there to specify keep Joseph from buddying up further with "the enemy" or perhaps just a fear of being left out.

 

Regardless of how specifically it had happened, Elijah was secretly pleased that they all had stuck together. While he was thrilled to be around others, to find more like themselves, he was also grateful for the small almost-community they had formed. It was nice for once, however briefly, to feel included in an exclusive and special group. It reminded him of how it felt during that brief period of time he'd tricked David into being his friend, before he'd found out the truth. 

 

Giving himself a shake, he finished what little unpacking, room claiming, and freshening up there was and quickly rolled back to the elevator and then onto the dining hall to wait. Ms Nagasaki wasn't there but the Jeff child he'd heard about was. At least, with that cast and solemn expression, he figured it had to be. The child sat at the table, not even swinging his legs. Mr Glass felt himself grow mildly uncomfortable under the intense stare of the child as he sat, waiting for the others to show up. One never knew what children were thinking, especially with an expression like that.

 

Elijah considered small talk, but the only thing he knew about the child, other than the fact he had powers, was that the Beast had kidnapped him away from his parents after eating his babysitter. He cleared his throat and pointedly looked at the door. The experience was growing dire, he was almost forced to acknowledge the child when he was saved by the return of Ms Nagasaki.

 

The woman backed through the door carrying a large tray with a full tea set. Cadence followed, casual and mid sentence though she quickly sobered up when she saw him.

 

"-but really, I- oh. Hi," she looked from him to the child. "Jeff wasn't bothering you, was he?" She turned a warning glance to the kid.

 

"Oh goodness no!" Elijah hastened to assure her, sensing that getting the child in trouble was a bad idea. Children, you always had to be careful. If you made an enemy of one they had nothing but time to cultivate a grudge. "We were just sitting here having a nice chat. Great kid," he assured her.

 

"Oh," Cadence said, seemingly a little shocked by the statement. "Cool, he doesn't like many people. Glad to know you've been spared the wrath of Jeff." She grinned and Mr Glass smiled back, turning to see the child just staring at him wordlessly. The smile faltered.

 

Cadence checked her phone. Feet kicked up on the table, she looked the modern disenchanted teenager, though thankfully aged several years up. "It's 10:27," she said and Mrs Nagasaki nodded her head. With a couple more whirlings of her thumbs, she activated something on her phone and lifted it to her mouth. As she spoke, her voice rang out from some sort of PA system that echoed through the warehouse. For a brief moment Elijah felt a twist in his gut as he was reminded of the hospital. Not for the first time did he wonder if they'd fallen out of the frying pan and into the fire. The need to believe that there were others like him and that they would acknowledge him once again drove him into accepting whatever may come from the situation. The idea that things could get worse at this point was so unthinkable as to be not worth considering.

 

"Hey everyone. This is Cadence, calling from the dining room. Yes, I'm sorry to inform you this fabulous warehouse is equipped with a PA and security system and yes, I have figured out how to use it and no I will not abuse that power. If you want to hear assurances on how I absolutely positively promise there are no cameras in your rooms, then come on down and join us for orientation session! This is your three minute reminder!"  The sound of feet stomping down the stairwell before she finished speaking could be heard. Cadence grinned widely up at Ms Nagasaki, who frowned down at her. "It worked," the young woman said with a shrug.

 

"Please do not antagonize the new guests, Cadence," the older woman said. "Do remember that you're not dealing with 'normies' now. You should be more considerate towards them."

 

Cadence rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, most of them." She glanced over at Elijah and seemed to straighten up. "Sorry," she said. Elijah arched an eyebrow, again warmed by the thought that he was part of the majority for once. That the girl seemed to think less of Joseph and Victoria bothered him not at all. He rolled himself closer to the table and accepted Ms Nagasaki's offer of green tea when she made it. He was amused that she hadn't been joking when she suggested they might talk through the night.

 

"Cameras. Explain. Now," Casey demanded, storming into the room and straight up to Cadence. The seated young woman cracked a smile up at her. Dramatically she leaned back, lacing fingers behind her head and said nothing.

 

"Just a moment, Casey, and we'll start with that. There's enough to explain, no need to make Cadence repeat herself." Dennis was next through the door, equally distressed and furious. Mr Glass noticed that their host brushed her hand across his elbow as she attempted to calm him. Though the man jerked away from her, Elijah wasn't certain he'd been aware of the significance of the contact. When he caught sight of Jeff, he looked surprised and Hedwig interrupted briefly with an excited greeting that the young boy returned with a silent nod.

 

Their two 'normies' came next, shepherded in by David who appeared to be keeping his calm. Years of security certainly left one far more comfortable with the notion of hidden cameras, no doubt, just as years of institutionalization did. Funny how different paths could still leave similar scars.

 

"Blue, what the fuck," Cadence snapped into her phone and throughout the building. "Get in here. They're all here, you're making us look bad." She glanced at Ms Nagasaki who mouthed something to her wordlessly and Cadence rolled her eyes as she spoke into the phone again. "You too, Max. What the hell." She made an apologetic shrug to the group before resuming her tapping on the device.

 

Ms Nagasaki waved her hand dismissively and apparently decided there was no need to wait. "We are happy to share the building schematics with you all," she began. "Cadence will also offer a full walk through of the system and you'll all be given access tomorrow morning so you too can watch empty hallways and make rude jokes for everyone to hear from your phone or computer." There was a pause, the Philadelphia crew just blinked at her in silence. "That last part was a joke. Please don't abuse the PA system, it's never as funny as you think it is. And the camera feeds are available to everyone as a reminder that there are camera feeds in all the public spaces." She gave a pointed look around the room. Joseph inquired briefly into the specifics of the system, which seemed to surprise Cadence but she answered without hesitation.

 

"Next question," Ms Nagasaki prompted and looked around the table. At this point she'd finished passing around cups of tea so she laced together gloved hands and smiled openly at them.

 

"What's your powers? And I don't just mean the hand thing... Though that too." Mr Glass spoke for the group, sounding equally calm and composed as their host had.

 

"First off," she raised finger, still smiling, "Early trials suggest it's rather rude to flat out ask someone everything they can do." She turned the pointed finger into a wave of the hand. "I sense desire. From what I've been able to gather, it's just like David's except a different part of the mind."

 

They all took that in, sitting quietly for a moment.  Some blinked and looked inquisitive or embarrassed. Dennis frowned intensely at the news and David looked exceptionally uncomfortable. Ms Nagasaki glanced at the man and then quickly away, flushing. Casey observed this and exchange a glance with Victoria and the two traded a look

 

"Anything else?" Mr Glass prompted, more intrigued than concerned by the idea but determined not to be distracted. 

 

She shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant way. "I sometimes think I'm quick and that I can see well in the dark, but maybe I just eat my vegetables. No, nothing else particularly quantifiable." She looked pointedly at Elijah for a moment. "Not everyone who is like us has demonstrably obvious signs of being different. That doesn't make them less like us though."

 

"So you believe Dr Staple's theory? That there's actual genetic differences between yourselves and the general human population?" Victoria asked. Mr Glass smiled, happy to know he wasn't the only one engaging with the woman. David still seemed to be keeping his distance and Dennis looked as standoffish as usual. Elijah briefly wished Patricia or even Barry were present. That Dennis sat there suggested the Horde didn't feel safe or comfortable here. Casey was drawn in on herself, though following along intently and Joseph looked overwhelmed and star struck as usual by talk of powers.

 

"I do believe there is more to us, yes. And that there is something fundamentally common amongst us." She just stared at Victoria and while there was nothing malicious to it, a sense of unease clearly settled between them. 

 

"What-" Mr Glass started to asked when the door opened and two individuals ambled in. Blue, still gruff looking and wearing a coat, took a seat by the door. He was joined by younger man, skinny as a rail and with similar coloring as Victoria. He appeared to be in the same approximate awkward young person age as Casey and Cadence.

 

"You've met Blue," Ms Nagasaki said with a terse tone, "And this is Max. Thank you for joining us." They nodded politely, only the young man appearing embarrassed by their tardiness. David stood and leaned over the table to place a hand briefly over the young man's. 

 

"As long as we're being so open and checking in on each other," he said in an artificially friendly tone to their host before sitting down. Casey looked from the man to David and raised her eyebrows. David turned and saw Dennis giving him and equally inquiring look. "Nothing," he muttered. "I got nothing."

 

Casey looked back to Max and flashed him an awkward smile. "Sorry, can never be too careful, you know?"

 

The youth blushed and looked up to their host. "Yeah, it's cool, I get it. We don't do business with anyone till Ms Nagasaki here okays them." He flicked his gaze back to Casey, "so I guess you're all clear then too, eh?" The implication that her desires had been audited seemed to upset Casey, who flushed and turned back to the older woman. 

 

"How long have you all been together?" She asked hurriedly in a blatant attempt to divert that conversation, stepping over the much better question Elijah had been about to ask.

 

"Blue and I met up about ten years ago. After that it was Philip and then Jose, about five years ago. Then Claudia. Then we lost Jose and Claudia. Then we found Max," she nodded to the young man.  "And Cadence. That was two years ago. And then a year ago the world found out about you two. We found and lost Chris, then Philip... and then, as you know, Jeff joined us." She tilted her head to smile down at the child who, for the first time, smiled. It was timid and brief but no less notable than if he'd jumped on the table and screamed. 

 

"And what exactly is it you do here?" Mr Glass interjected, determined to bring them back to the questions that really mattered. 

 

"I want to talk about all this 'losing' of people. What are you, a shitty daycare?" Casey muttered loud enough to be clearly heard.

 

Ms Nagasaki smiled politely. "Luckily they're both the same. We run... specialty services let's say. Often for money, sometimes not. And let's say we try to find work that utilizes our specific skill sets. All-"

 

"You murder people for money," David spit, arms crossed. "I can't believe how much I saw and I'm sure that wasn't all of it. I know he did as well," he nodded towards the large man who had also submitted to an unnatural touch back before the trip. “And that she’s trouble,” another nod towards the smirking Cadence, “but you’re… a whole ‘nother league.” 

 

Ms Nagasaki pursed her lips. "I'm happy to go over everything you saw, though I hope you can understand if I volunteer to do so after this discussion, and in private. Everything has an explanation, but not everyone need know all the explanations. I'm sure you could infer at least some of the things you saw might have been due to... extreme circumstances."

 

Cadence and Blue exchanged glances, the young woman raising her eyebrows in unison with the thug. Elijah glanced over at Casey who seemed perturbed by this and wondered if David had already grilled her about what he'd seen in their handshake.

 

David paused and then gave a sharp nod, settling back as the woman continued. "But yes, we do sometimes as you put it, 'murder people for money'. Rent for a facility like this isn't cheap, nor acquiring the right supplies to properly offset skill sets. But we operate under the title of 'security' just as you used to so I'm sure you understand. Sometimes it's all just part of the job."

 

This seemed to concern David, crossed his arms and frowned more intensely. Casey and Victoria didn't seem to be taking this news well and Dennis did not appear amused either. Mr Glass however found himself nodding along. Before he could ask another question, she continued.

 

"All of that being said, we do also try to exercise a, shall we call it 'philanthropic' side to the business. We're searching for those like us who need help and trying to thwart others who do as well."

 

"Like Dr Staple?" Victoria asked.

 

Ms Nagasaki nodded, "And those she works for. There is, let us say, an attempt by some to gather us together to understand us so that we may better understand ourselves. And there's an attempt by some to gather us together to understand us to enrich themselves." This elected several nods from around the table. Mr Glass noted Max in particular looking haunted as he nodded along. 

 

"If you were searching for people like us," David snapped, "Why did you leave us in that damn hospital for so long?" Elijah had to concede that that was a pretty good question. Ms Nagasaki also seemed to agree, nodding and taking a sip of her tea before she tackled it.

 

"Our resources are not limitless and we have to be careful. You were housed in a heavy security facility as... you may have noticed. When you broke out from it."

 

"Damn impressive," Blue muttered from his end of the table, nodding appreciatively to the group. Ms Nagasaki pursed her lips but then took another sip of tea and continued. 

 

"I apologize, Mr Glass. When I first heard about your case I... underestimated you. I thought you were more similar to... Someone like Joe Carroll for example, despite Cadence's insistence otherwise. Again, I apologize. As you know, your mother eventually contacted me and set into motion a plan to assist with your eventual escape." Here she nodded to Dennis who raised his eyebrows. 

 

"What?" Cadence snapped. "You think those alarms just shut themselves down all on their own? Phffff..." she made an offended sound before returning to her phone. Joseph stared at her with wide eyes and his jaw was actually hanging open a bit. He tried to pepper her with a handful of questions relating to security systems but she waved him off with a explanation of "later," clearly uninterested in answering any questions from the 'normies'.

 

"Why didn't you help us with the actual escape?" Casey demanded. 

 

This time Cadence dramatically rolled her eyes but didn't even look up from her device. "So good to be appreciated... "

 

Attempting to keep the peace, Ms Nagasaki leaned over an refilled several cups. "Perhaps you'll recall a lack of further... intervention after you left the building? You have Cadence to thank for that. She suppressed several attempts to alert the local authorities, automated or authorize, till you were all safely away."

 

"Yeah, but we asked her before all that to help," Casey looked to Dennis and then around the room. "When she came for Jeff. I asked her for help and she said no." The girl appeared quite frustrated and was glaring at Cadence, who refused to look up from her phone.

 

"That would again be my fault," Ms Nagasaki said, "After the Horde's behavior during their escape, leaving behind the other two, I felt it would do us no good to have further contact with him. We help those of us who are not yet beyond help. I apologize that I miscalculated. You've now proven yourself quite able to work with a group." She nodded her head approvingly to everyone around the table. "All those guards and not a single, injury. Most impressive."

 

"Victoria twisted an ankle," Joseph pointed out and Victoria glared at him but said nothing. No one else seemed to pay the remark much attention.

 

"So now that you believe we have powers and have faith that we can... get alone," Elijah said, glancing around his half of the group as he steepled his fingers. "Now what? You've invited us all the way out here... provided us rooms...? What's your angle?"

 

Ms Nagasaki smiled at him broadly. "An excellent question. We're called The Kaiju Corporation," she explained and her smile widened at everyone's reaction to the name. "What can I say, I draw a lot of inspiration from cultural influences," she added and winked at Mr. Glass. "As I said, we offer special services to well paying clients and we'd like you to join us. Given your current... legal complications, this would of course be all off the record, payments under the table and the such. You'd be welcome and encouraged to stay with us. We've found being around... others like ourselves is..." she paused here and tipped her head, eyes darting over to Blue. The man shrugged and she continued. "Things can go wrong, it's easier to contain... accidents when we're together, only amongst others like ourselves. Life is easier when you're not trying to hide important aspects of yourself."

 

The Philadelphia group looked around amongst themselves. While Elijah felt elated at this news, he could see the worried looks the others wore. When Dennis spoke, he was surprised that the man hadn't been displaced by Patricia for the question. "What about Victoria and Joseph?" he asked and everyone turned to look at their hostess.

 

"Yes... well..." the woman traced the rim of her empty cup with a finger. "We have up until now operated only with individuals like ourselves." She again looked at Blue who pointedly looked away. Her gaze shifted to Cadence but the girl either didn't notice or pretended not to. With a sigh, she continued. "I'll be honest, I'm not... thrilled about them being here." Victoria seemed to wilt a bit and Joseph and David exchanged worried glances. David opened his mouth but Ms Nagasaki quickly continued before he could speak. "But we value the addition of the rest of you and understand that it is necessary." David glared at the woman as did Casey while Dennis retained a neutral expression for the most part. 

 

"Are they useful for anything?" Cadence asked, without looking up, and their hostess seemed to wince a little bit at the question. 

 

"I- I worked at Access Security," Joseph stammered, again glancing at his father. "I can code-" Cadence snorted, eyes still glued to her phone and the sound seemed to fluster the young man further. "I..." He looked around the table. "Victoria is a librarian, she's-" the girl rolled her eyes so obviously that Joseph cut himself short.

 

"Cadence!" Ms Nagasaki snapped in such a stern tone of voice that the girl actually did look up this time. The glare she received seemed to register and she mumbled an apology to no one in particular. "Thank you, Joseph," their hostess said, smiling at the still nervous man. "I'm sure you'll be very helpful."

 

* * *

 

Perhaps because there was nothing to do other than accept the offer, they accepted it. The evening wore on and Victoria caught herself falling asleep at the table. Eventually Casey tapped her on the shoulder and the two wandered up to their shared room leaving the rest behind although Joseph, Jeff, and Cadence had already disappeared by that point.

 

No one was murdered in their sleep and they awoke the next day to a find themselves part Ms Nagasaki’s small group. Given the state of the manhunt for them all, it was agreed best to keep a low profile for a short period of time. Cadence gave a lazy tour of the facility, the gym room exciting several individuals and the kitchen delighting everyone else. Victoria was quick to volunteer to help with the food rotation, along with Joseph, both of which seemed to leap at every opportunity to make themselves useful.

 

The densely packed bookshelves that lined part of the main common space were a delight and Victoria spent much of her initial free time familiarizing herself with the collection. When Orwell had time in the Light the two planted themselves before the shelves, both happy with the breadth of the collection available.  Mr Glass seemed to appreciate Orwell’s company as much as she did and joined them.

 

Given the strange nature of their situation, everyone sort of lurked apart as they adapted to their surroundings for the first couple days. The only one who immediately integrated themselves was Hedwig, who invited Jeff into his room much to the discomfort of several individuals. When they eventually emerged the child’s cast was brightly colored and Hedwig seemed quite proud of himself. She tried to avoid the child as much as possible, as did Mr Glass it seemed, but several of the alters and Casey both seemed fond of the kid.

 

Cadence and Blue disappeared for a period of time and Ms Nagasaki explained they were off working. She made it clear that when the immediate fervor over the escape had died down several others would be expected to help as well and the knowledge seemed to hang over the group like a dark cloud. They’d all signed themselves up for something, but it still wasn’t clear yet how much it would cost them.

 

* * *

 

It took less than a week for the inevitable to happen. In truth, it was a relief for it to actually happen. The shadow of the Beast had hovered in the back of everyone's mind and when he finally showed himself it went about as well as could be expected.

 

Casey had been leaning on the railing, looking down into the common area and chatting with Victoria when a door a floor up slammed open. Feet pounded cement steps as Cadence rushed by. Her phone was almost to her lips and she was already past them when they heard her booming out of the PA system. "Beast is here. Kitchen. Now." Casey's eyes widened and she sprinted after the woman, catching up just as they reached the double doors and burst through. 

 

Joseph stood with his back to the sink, kitchen knife held in shaking hands between himself and the hulking figure of the Beast.  Crouched atop the countertop in front of the man, the monster growled. Vegetables had been tossed about, no doubt Barry and Joseph had been mid dinner prep when the transition had happened.

 

"No!" Casey shouted, throwing her arms wide in a defiant gesture. "Get away from him! Hey! No!" She waved her arms back and forth, trying to draw the Beast's attention. Cadence had slid around the room, circling him though not making herself as noticeable as Casey.

 

The Beast's head whipped around at an unnatural angle and the growl shifted in tone. Before Casey could think of something to say, several others burst through the door. David took a threatening step forward but Ms Nagasaki was there and she gripped his arm, holding him back.

 

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the older woman called before boldly stepping out in front of David. "I've been looking forward to this moment. Please, let me introduce myself. You may call me Ms Nagasaki." She slowly extended a hand towards the Beast. "What shall we call you?"

 

The growl edged up into a snarl and he lept, closing the distance between them, nearly landing on the woman. Though she leaned back, she did not retreat. Carefully she started to move her hand to his arm when lightening fast he gripped her wrist and twisted it, dragging her off her feet and against his chest.

 

"No!" Casey cried again as Blue swore, shouldering a rifle he'd picked up somewhere along the way. Ms Nagasaki inhaled sharply and spread the fingers of her free hand. "It's all right," she said, trying to calm the room while she hung in the Beast's grip.

 

With a long and deliberate inhalation the Beast moved his head across her throat and down the arm he gripped. "You're Pure," came the rumbly voice that sent icy shivers up Casey's spine. 

 

"Yes," Ms Nagasaki gasped, sounding pained. "You'll find everyone here is." The Beast's head snaked to the side to pointedly look at Joseph and then back to the woman he held. "Well, nearly everyone. Please, let us sit and talk."

 

The Beast shifted his gaze back and forth again between Ms Nagasaki and Joseph. "Not while he's here," he snarled. 

 

The woman nodded as if this was a totally reasonable request. "Blue, why don't you show Joseph and Victoria to their rooms for a while." This seemed fine with the younger man who, still gripping kitchen knife, scooted around the counter to the door where Blue waited. David watched his son's escape with compressed lips before turning back to the Beast.

 

"You can't tell me his desire is compatible with this group," David muttered. At this point Mr Glass wheeled himself in, glancing back to presumably watch Joseph being led away.  While everyone else in the room was shot through with tension, Elijah seemed to take the sight of the Beast in a stride. He rolled up next to Casey.

 

"Hello again," Mr Glass smiled at the Beast before setting the brakes on his wheels. The Beast made the barest of inclinations of his head in the man’s direction before turning to stare boldly at Casey. She gulped, suddenly feeling much less certain about her control over the man. There was a pained yelp and Ms Nagasaki collapsed to the floor, the Beast having released her and shoved her away. Blinking, he eventually shifted his gaze to Cadence who still stood on the far side of the room.

 

With inhuman motions, the Beast crawled straight over to her, traversing the chopping block, stove top, and counter to reach her. Lettuce and other greens that had been meant to be dinner were scattered in his wake. Gulping, Cadence tried to step back but hit the wall as he leaned in to inhale. Tipping his head to the side he made a second pass, again inhaling her scent deeply. There was the faintest twist to the growl, almost like a purr that set Casey's teeth on edge. 

 

"You shouldn't attack Joseph like that!" Casey scolded him, suddenly wanting his attention somewhere other than on the young woman. Unfortunately, she was quite effective.

 

There was a wide grin on his face, thankfully not bloody this time, as he slinked back over to her side. "He was Impure," the Beast hissed at her.

 

She clapped her hands sharply in front of his face. If he was going to act like a vicious animal, she would treat him like one. "No!" She repeated firmly. "No attacking Joseph or Victoria."

 

He tilted his head, frowning slightly and staring at her hands. He seemed more confused than chastised or insulted by the gesture. She wasn't sure what she'd hoped to accomplish with it but was still proud of herself for standing up to him.

 

"It is true," Ms Nagasaki said, sliding up next to Casey. "You are amazing and we need you to help us but we need to work together. All of us," her gesture clearly including those who were not in the room at the moment. "Please, say you'll help. With you we can save so many. We'll stand united and be strong together. They will know that we are not to be trifled with."

 

Casey watched the woman from the corner of her eye. She was laying it on thick, but the Beast seemed to listen. He licked his lips and snapped his jaw a couple times and Casey flinched. The wound on her calf throbbed and she glanced over to David. The older man continued to stand there, fists clenched at his side, arms bunched up and ready to swing. Mr Glass was before him, looking rapturously at the Beast. 

 

"Do what now?" The Beast asked simply, the question was directed towards David but he then slid his gaze over to the older woman. 

 

"Right now we do nothing." This response was met with a growl at the back of the throat. "But soon. We have a plan soon. Bad people, the Impure to be punished. Will you help us then?" There was a tense pause but eventually the Beast dipped his head. More than one person let out an audible breath that they'd been holding, Casey included. 

 

The Beast shifted, something in the tension of his arms lessening and making it almost as if he relaxed. The hunch of his shoulders though and heavy breathing suggested he was still a hair's breadth away from tearing someone's throat out. 

 

"Casey," Ms Nagasaki said to the girl's surprise, "Could you show the Beast back to his room? I think perhaps it'd be best if he waited there till... someone else comes back. Do you think you could do that?" There was the faintest plea to the woman's voice and Casey realized she perhaps wasn't as cool with the murderous monster hunched before her as she appeared to be.

 

"Yes, of course," Casey gulped before standing straighter. She could do this. And she agreed, having him tucked away in a room was a far better idea than everyone being trapped in the kitchen with him.

 

The Beast was staring down at her when David moved forward. "I think-" he started to say when a deep rumble in the Beast's chest and an hand on his arm stopped him. Mr Glass had reached over and gently held David back.

 

"I believe Miss Cooke is extremely capable and will have no difficulty with our friend." He looked to her. "Isn't that right?" His words surprised her. Since when did anyone consider the Beast their friend? That David would aggravate the situation was undeniable but she felt a little abandoned to the proverbial wolves at the moment.

 

"We'll be fine," she said with effort. Reaching forward, she forced herself to wrap her hand around his wrist. He hissed slightly and drew back, but not violently enough to break contact.

 

"Come on," she tugged on his wrist. "Come with me." The Beast huffed and then started to follow her. With stumbling steps she lead him out into the common space and then up the stairs. Their going was awkward, him taking a powerful rolling step for every hurried two of hers. When they reached the landing for their floor, she saw Blue standing in front of David and Joseph's door, gun hanging not so casually in his grip.

 

"Everything is fine, everything is okay," she hurried to say as the Beast pulled out of her grasp and loped over. It was unclear exactly who she spoke to but the two didn't immediately come to blows.

 

"The fuck?" Blue muttered as the Beast invaded his personal space and inhaled deeply. She thought it was quite a testament to his character and dedication to the cause that he didn't immediately shoot the monster. The Beast observed him, still standing uncomfortably close and Blue shot a look over to her, visibly at his limit.

 

"No," Casey said for lack of anything better. She walked over and gripped the Beast's wrist again, pulling him away from the man and to the door across the hall. "No," she repeated as she pushed him into his room. She moved to shut the door but the Beast pulled her in after him and it swung shut behind her. She froze as he reached past her and clicked the lock into place.

 

* * *

 

"What the fuck," David exploded with as soon as the door behind the pair shut. 

 

Cadence sagged against the counter and fanned herself, "That was kinda hot," she muttered to no one in particular. Ms Nagasaki reached up and rubbed her temples. 

 

"That was intense," Max said and Mr Glass jerked in his chair. The young man stood beside him though he hadn't noticed till just then. 

 

"If anything happens to her," David stated though he let the threat hang without further elaboration. "How can you possibly be ok with that... thing being here? What good is your sensing if not to keep people like that away!?"

 

"Just- give me a minute!" Ms Nagasaki snapped, for the first time since they'd arrived raising her voice. "I agree that... wasn't ideal, but I couldn't think of a better way to de-escalate. Honestly though, I think she'll be ok." The woman bit her lip and looked around. 

 

Cadence was already on her phone, tapping away. Without looking up she said, "They reached their rooms, no problem. Aw, he said hi to Blue. Maybe they'll be friends." She looked up to the older woman. "They have a lot in common, right?" When she didn't get a response she glanced at Mr. Glass and twirled her finger beside her head. He too didn't respond, just unlocked his wheels and rolled over to the lower kitchen prep table and pulled the laptop he’d been given.

 

The warehouse's security feeds were soon up on his screen and David wandered over to watch over his shoulder. All they could see was Blue in the hallway, still standing guard before a door though Mr Glass wondered if it was more to keep those in rather than keep intruders out. “Casey’s in there with him?” he asked, only the faintest hint of worry in his voice.

 

"I'm going up there," David said and started towards the stairs. He stopped when Max laid a hand on his chest, seemingly surprised to find the young man standing before him.

 

"You'll just aggravate him," Ms Nagasaki said, hands still pressed to the sides of her head. "Leave them alone. I'm sure Casey will let us know when he's gone. Where's Jeff?" She asked suddenly, looking around. Mr Glass frowned and began to cycle through the feeds once again.

 

"Well fuck," Candace muttered before turning the phone around to show footage of the child sliding into the Horde's room. The timestamp showed it as thirty minutes ago.

 

* * *

 

The Beast leaned in and inhaled deeply from the girl pressed to the door in front of him. She trembled, he could feel it through the hand she placed against his chest and when she pushed. "No," she said in a firm tone. He chuckled and leaned to the other side, lowering his head to her neck.

 

She smelled nice, she smelled Pure, and he couldn't get enough of it. It had been a heady rush to meet the three other new Pure. So many new possibilities and such new information. The new young female had smelled nice as well though he liked this one better. There had been a faint similarity to the broken man but he'd been unable to pin it down before Casey had called him off.

 

He smiled at the idea and rumbled deep in his chest. That she thought she could command him amused him enough to follow her lead. It was easier, he reluctantly though, actively burrowing his face in her neck with gentle nudges and a nip or two. That there were so many, with such different powers overwhelmed him. He knew that it was a struggle to fight just the strong old one, the idea of so many potential rivals at once was worrisome. Better to let her lead the way till they got back to things he understood better. Like hunting. Like this.

 

She'd continued to push against his chest and was repeatedly telling him to stop when the attack came from behind. 

 

The Beast actually yelped in pain, the shock that ran up his backside was so intense and sudden. He lashed out with a curled hand as he turned, but his attacker had already jumped back.

 

"Leave Casey alone!" the young child shouted. Arms raised, one of them still bound in a brightly colored cast, he looked like he was ready to throw himself into battle. The Beast cocked his head to to the side, watching the fearless young thing. Casey darted away from the door and stood behind the child. 

 

"Jeff," she said in a trembling voice. "Thank you. I think you should go now though. I think we should both go now." She placed a hand on his thin shoulder but the child shook it off and leapt forward, arms still raised and small fingers curved into claws of his own.

 

"I'm not scared of you!" He shrieked before swinging wildly at the Beast. It was easy enough to dodge the attack, the child's reach was barely two feet compared to the Beast's hulking form and lightning fast reflexes. The Beast continued to twist and lightly step about the room as he avoided the child's wild battle cries and flailing arms.

 

"Jeff?" Came the muffled voice of gun man from the other side of the door. The handle rattled. "Casey?"

 

"Everything is fine!" She cried, running to the door but not unlocking it. Turning, back to the door once again, she watched as the two danced around the room.

 

The Beast may have been startled by the initial attack and then confused by the suddenness of the little man's fury but he soon began to take delight in the game of it. Occasionally he'd give the child a shove here or there if he happened to wander too close and there'd be the sharp snap of static electricity but nothing as painful as the surprise assault on his backside.

 

"Everything is fine," Casey repeated in an exhausted voice. She watched as the two leapt about, almost like a child and his hulking murderous rottweiler. Eventually Jeff gave up screaming, saving his breath for wild lunges. After that he started to stumble and the pauses between his passes grew in length till he eventually collapsed to the floor, panting. 

 

The Beast crouched before him, just out of reach, fascinated. When he'd found the child, it had been a scared and exhausted little thing. He'd had little chance to interact with it before handing it off to the others to deal with. Now he observed this Jeff, admiring the ferocity and dedication.

 

"You fight to protect your own," the Beast rumbled. "That is good." Jeff just flashed his teeth in a childish snarl and struggled back to his feet. "You should always protect your pack," the Beast said approvingly. The child made another stumbling pass towards him, arms outstretched, but once again collapsed after a neat sidestep resulted in yet another miss.

 

"Jeff, I think we should go," Casey repeated, holding her hand out to the boy. Both the child and the Beast looked to her. The Beast smiled and stepped over to her. Before he reaching her, he paused and looked back to the panting child. 

 

"I won't hurt her," he chuckled, before turning to face Casey. He licked his lips and leaned in to her again. "It is good that you all look out for one another." Reaching up he stroked her hair. "I will watch out for you," he assured her. Carefully he lowered his face to hers. Like stalking skittish prey, he inched his head down ever so slowly. "When you need me, I'll be there," he whispered against her lips. 

 

He didn't fight it when he felt that strange tug, a sensation of tripping, and suddenly Dennis was in the Light.

 

They remained frozen like that, not even inch apart, for several breaths before Dennis slowly drew back. He stepped away from Casey, raising his arms. Looking over to the boy, still slumped on the floor and panting, he nodded his head. "Thank you Jeff." Looking to Casey, his expression became pained. "I'm sorry," he said to her. Thankfully she didn’t appear to be angry or scared of him. Nodding she pushed off the door and turned to unlock it. Blue was anxiously waiting on the other side and visibly relaxed when he saw everyone to be unharmed.

 

"They're fine," he spoke into his phone and Dennis could hear the entire structure echo with it. 

 

"Everything is fine," Casey said, and sank down to the floor, breathing heavily. Only now did she let the trembling take her, nerves more than fear it seemed. Dennis longed to reach out and comfort her but it was the small child who rested a hand on her shoulder. Jeff stood behind her, breathing heavily through his nose.

 

"I'm sorry, I tried to stop him," he said morosely. "I'll do better next time." With a deep breath, she drew the child down into a hug and kissed the top of his head. Dennis’s fingers twitched and he fumbled instead in his pocket to retrieve his glasses though he doubted he’d be allowed in Light for long.

 

"Thank you," she murmured repeatedly against Jeff’s hair. She was holding the little boy tight, and Dennis saw the child return the hug.  Above the child’s head, she caught Dennis’s eye and repeated her thanks, which made him duck his head in embarrassment. Somehow it didn’t seem right to accept thanks after they’d let the Beast wreck havoc. His only contribution had been to, once again, take the Light when nearly kissed. Nearly, but once again not actually. Dennis looked about the room awkwardly before deciding to return to the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

"Well, now we know," Victoria said, trying to put a positive spin on it. Barry ducked his head, looking sheepish.

 

"Well I think this means he can't help with food prep any more," David said, arms crossing. Victoria scowled at him, placing a hand attop the embarrassed man's clasped hands. Joseph already rested a hand on his shoulder and was already giving his father a disapproving look. 

 

"I'm really sorry, I didn't know it would happen.. I'll be more careful in the future," Barry tried to assure the group, looking at the people who stood around him. Mr Glass continued to stare at the nearly unblemished hand that had been presented to the group, the faint red line left by the slip of a knife was visible but already rapidly fading. The look in his eye was hungry and Victoria almost felt like glaring at him as well.

 

"Well I think it's incredible," Ms Nagasaki said and Blue nodded.

 

"Fucking awesome," the large man added, taking another bite of carrot. "Now I won't feel so bad if there's any friendly fire." He winked to the disturbed Barry and Victoria turned her disapproval briefly to him. Why was everyone being so difficult?

 

With an encouraging rub to the shoulder, Joseph coaxed Barry away from the table while Casey mutely watched them. Jeff sat in her lap, head resting against her shoulder. The two had been silent, along with Dennis, till Joseph stumbled back into the kitchen, clearly uneasy in the space. Barry had returned, by force or permission Victoria couldn't help but wonder, and the two eventually explained the events leading up to the emergence of the Beast.

 

"Also, good job little dude," Blue said, turning to the silent child. He held out a closed fist and Victoria was pleased to see the child tentatively raising his own to bump against the man's larger clenched hand. The man flinched only slightly at whatever shock he may have received and continued to grin. Casey gave Jeff an encouraging pat on the back and he slid off her lap. 

 

"I think we're going to turn in early," she said. "Jeff want me to read you something?" Though he looked too old for bedtime stories, he nodded and the two of them headed towards the stairs, hand in hand.

 

Victoria surveyed the remaining people in the room. She felt an uncomfortable mixture of relief and guilt at having missed everything. She'd missed the entire encounter in the kitchen because she was a coward. Though she'd wanted to head towards the commotion when Cadence had gone flying by, she hadn't been able to bring herself to let go of the railing. Her last two encounters with the Beast had been so daunting she knew there was nothing she could do to help except stay out of the way. 

 

When Blue had grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to David's room, Joseph in tow, she knew herself to be a coward and hated herself for it. The large Russian's expression, spied just before he'd slammed the door behind them suggested he had similar feelings.

 

Not for the first time did she wonder what she was doing here. 

 

"You shouldn't have sent Casey up there alone," David said in a dark voice. The unease at the table suggested this wasn't a new topic. Ms Nagasaki looked pained, she'd been rubbing her head off and on since the incident, and Victoria suddenly had an urge to defend her.

 

"Casey knows how to handle the Beast," she said with confidence. "Mr Dunn, I don't think you understand. This isn't the first time Casey has dealt with him and I doubt it'll be the last. If we're being honest, she probably has more experience than you do dealing with him. And from talking to her I know for a fact she..." Victoria gestured with her hand struggling to put to word the exact idea she wanted to convey while also being mindful of her friend's privacy. "She takes it to heart when the Beast does something bad. She shouldn't of course, but since when are people ever rational. I think she feels responsible for him in some way and she'd hate more than anything else the idea of him hurting someone else if she were able to stop it."

 

As she finished speaking she looked up at the table and felt everyone staring at her. Not one of them looked particularly friendly and she suddenly regretted sharing her thoughts.

 

"Thanks, Victoria," David muttered. "When I want yet another psych analysis of someone I'll let you know." Victoria felt her eyes sting and she ducked her head. Well, that was pretty clear.

 

David went back to hassling their host and though the woman didn't defend herself Cadence and Blue were both quick to step in argue with him.  

 

"I agree," Max said, leaning into whisper to her. She jumped, not remembering that he sat next to her. Offering a weak smile she nodded and tried to discreetly dab at her eyes with a sleeve. 

 

"Do you want to get out of here?" He asked, still whispering. Victoria watched as David started to shout something and Blue interrupted, voice rising even louder. It looked like nothing productive was going to happen here till feelings settled so she nodded. 

 

There was a faint tingle to her fingers as Max slipped his hand into hers and tugged, drawing her away from the table. No one bothered to look up as she walked out, further injuring her feelings. The two of them wandered to the steps, where Max dropped her hand. She flexed her fingers and looked up at him. He'd already taken a step back but froze at the eye contact. 

 

"Thanks," she said, and held her hand out to him. "You can do something, can't you?" He nodded tentatively. He didn't move further and Victoria struggled, feeling as if she wished the conversation to continue but unable to think of anything particularly interesting to say. "Where do you stay?" she eventually asked.

 

He shrugged with his shoulders and seemed to point with the same gesture. "I'm next to Cadence one floor up from you guys. There's no one across from me." 

 

Nodding, Victoria continued to grope for conversation. "How do you fit in around here?" she asked with a smile.

 

He ducked his head. "I wonder that myself sometimes," he said to his shoes and Victoria felt mortified for asking such a cruel question.

 

She began to stammered an apology but he waved it away. "It's fine, hey, I'm going to head back to my room... catch you later." With a weak wave of the hand he ascended the stairs.

 

Sighing heavily, Victoria trudged up the steps a moment later. She felt wretched. Ducking into the room she shared with Casey she grabbed a couple items and headed out to visit the nearest library. They'd agreed it was safe to go out in ones or two as long as they were careful not to draw attention to themselves. Wandering the stacks till closing certainly calmed her and she felt it certainly qualified as low profile. She didn't even try to check something out though the book on Moroccan cooking she'd been flipping through called to her. 

 

With hands crammed in pockets she took the long way back, stopping at a minor bar of little note to grab a drink before continuing home. The wind was bitingly cold but she welcomed it. Cowards didn't deserve warmth she told herself.

 

Slipping as quietly as she could through the heavy doors she was surprised to see Ms Nagasaki and what looked to be Patricia sitting together in the communal space, each holding a cup of something warm that steamed.

 

"Ah, there she is," the older woman said and stood, the motion transitioning to a stretch and then a yawn. "Oh, please excuse me. I'm quite beat. And now that you're back I feel I can turn in. Patricia," she said with a polite nod that was returned in kind.  She started to collect the few empty dishes laying between them but Patricia shooed her away with a promise that she'd handle it. With a final grateful nod, the visibly exhausted woman headed off to her rooms.

 

Looking over to Victoria, Patricia smiled warmly and patted the sofa next to her. It felt nice that at least someone wanted her around, Victoria though, dropping down to the suggested location with a sigh.

 

"We were starting to get worried there for a bit," Patricia said as she selected an unused cup and began to poor Victoria a drink. 

 

"I'm sorry," Victoria said, taking the steaming cup with welcome hands and blew on it. "I'll... leave a note or something next time. I just went to the library. It's opened late on Tuesdays here," she explained in response to Patricia's surprised expression.

 

"The library, but if course," Patricia chuckled and watched the woman as she sipped her tea. "I should have guessed." They sat together for a moment in companionable silence and Victoria felt herself relax. It wasn’t the first time that she’d found herself quietly sitting with Patricia since they’d come here. Once already she’d been sitting and reading with Orwell only to find an hour later Patricia in his place, also quietly reading and keeping her company.

 

"I hope you weren't too... upset by today's excitement," Patricia eventually said in a careful tone. Victoria bit her lip and studied the beautiful yet simple cup she held. Really, the glazing was quite impressive. "Victoria?" The tone was gentle and probing. With a sigh she set down the cup and rubbed her face.

 

"I'm sorry, it was fine. Didn't bother me at all, didn't involve me at all. I just hid the whole time," she confessed and was surprised by the relieved sigh she got in return.

 

"Oh thank goodness," Patricia placed a hand upon her chest, fingers brushing the rich blue knit sweater she'd take the time to change into. "I was so worried. It seems like you keep ending up in the middle of it every time the Beast emerges. Be a dear and do so again next time he comes around. He really doesn't like you," she flashed an apologetic expression and sipped her tea. "It's not really your fault, you can't help being Impure."

 

Victoria picked up her cup and took a hasty sip, feeling awkward again to be reminded of how she was not one of them. Unable to keep her mouth shut she couldn't help but confess that it made her feel like a coward. Patricia was quick to tisk away the idea.

 

"Nonsense, darling. You simply know your limits. You've a lot going for you," she said with a coy smile and there again was that casual touch as her had patted Victoria's knee. "We already have enough brutes in this group, there's no harm in playing a support role."

 

"Support? What support?" Finishing her cup, she held it out while Patricia refiled it. She murdered a thanks and sipped with a decidedly gloomy air.

 

"Supporting Casey, for one. You are absolutely right in your assessment. David simply refuses to acknowledge Casey's strength. Men," she said with such a heavy disapproving tone that Victoria couldn't help but grin, the absurdity of the situation briefly surfacing in her vision. It was easy to forget sometimes that Patricia was outwardly the same as Orwell, broad shoulders and masculine features. Somehow that knowledge faded to the background when in her presence though it still could surface at the oddest time.

 

"There now, that's better." Reaching out, Patricia lightly placed a finger under Victoria s chin, lifting her head. "No more of this sulking now, it's unbecoming. You behaved perfectly rational. As did Ms Nagasaki and Casey," She reached for her cup, muttering something uncomplimentary about David under her breath which Victoria chose not to hear. 

 

Agreeing that sulking was never the right choice, Victoria tried to shake herself out of it and asked Patricia her plans for the evening. It turned out Samuel intended on going out later and so she shared her review of the bars she'd passed on her way home. They then chatted briefly about the cookbook she'd found at the library and both agreed it would be fun to try some of the recipes. 

 

Remembering the incident this afternoon though, Victoria paused, biting her lip. Patricia noticed the woman's gazed. It was fixed on the hand that had been accidentally injured and she waved it dismissively. "Oh come now, don't let David spook you. I'm much more skilled with a blade than Barry," she said with a smile. This fact unfortunately didn't reassure Victoria. To cover her sudden discomfort, she helped gather the plates and take them to the kitchen. They chatted a bit more as they washed up and Patricia followed her up to her room.

 

Standing outside her door, Victoria frowned in confusion and fought back the beginnings of a blush. "I thought you were going out...?" She asked tentatively. 

 

With a laugh, Patricia laid a hand on her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Silly girl. As if Samuel would go out dressed like this," she gestured to the heels and skirt that had been tastefully paired with the sweater. 

 

Victoria blushed and stammered, "Right, of course. Sorry, sometimes I forget..."  Patricia smiled at the confused gesture that was supplied with this and gave her arm another squeeze.

 

"I know, my dear. Which is why it's always a pleasure talking to you. Good night," she said and drew away carefully, moving to her door down the hall, somehow soundless in her heels.

 

With a shake if her head, Victoria slipped inside her room. Casey was already sprawled, unconscious, in her bed and the lamp between them had been thoughtfully left on. Appreciating the gesture, Victoria quickly slipped into pajamas and then her own warm bed.

 

It was with a light heart that she switched off the light and laid down.

 

* * *

 

Two days after the incident in the kitchen Ms Nagasaki politely asked Patricia to join her in her office. Hesitating for a moment, reluctant to leave the sofa where she and Victoria had been silently reading together, she watched Blue follow the woman into the room on the far end of the common area. Sighing, she lightly placed the book on the table and smiled at Victoria who only looked up briefly, smiled in return, and resumed reading.

 

Walking the length of the common room, heels clicking, she felt a rising sense of apprehension. Entering the office, she took the seat that the woman gestured to, noting that Blue leaned against the wall neither behind her nor in front of her. While he wasn't visibly carrying a weapon but she had no doubt he had something dangerous near at hand. Lightly folding her hands in her lap, ankles crossed, she arched an eyebrow.

 

Taking her own seat on the other side of the desk, Ms Nagasaki reaching down into a drawer and pulled out a thin blue folder. Sliding it wordlessly across the desk, she appeared to mirror Patricia's gesture and waited. Lightly picking the document up, Patricia flipped it open and drew a breath. Children. Within it were several pages, detailed single sheet profiles of several different children of varying ages. Each included a small picture, name, age, location, and details such as school or extra curricular activities.

 

"And what, exactly," she asked carefully, "is this?" Dennis had nothing to add but she was relieved to know he was paying attention.

 

"Simply precautionary measures. I- We want you to understand that we value your addition to our group. And while some here might not be as sympathetic to the complications a person might have in their life... I just wanted you to know that others of us are more understanding." The woman spoke smoothly and evenly in an excruciatingly neutral tone. 

 

Patricia said nothing at first, flipping through the pages once again. Glancing over first to Blue, whose expression remained blank, and then to the woman behind the desk, she closed the folder and gently placed it onto the wooden surface. "You want us to murder these children?"

 

"Want? No no no, you misunderstand," now Ms Nagasaki did actually look momentarily pained. "I'll be honest, I don't fully understand the Beast. It is something I hope to change as we work more closely together. And I don't understand his relationship with... the rest of you. I know in the past you've been compelled to assist with satiating his... needs. For the most part they appear to be under control now. But in the future, if that were to change...." Ms Nagasaki reached out and placed a hand upon the folder. "I just want you to know that you needn't feel compelled to abandon us or... take drastic measures. We are willing to work with you."

 

The feeling of being overwhelmed was not one Patricia was familiar with. Drawing a shaking breath she uncrossed and crossed her ankles before smoothing out her skirt. "I can hardly imagine what Mr. Dunn would say about this," she said, keeping her tone light. The thought of what Victoria might also have to say stabbed at her.

 

Nodding, Ms Nagasaki drew the folder across the desk and returned it to whichever drawer it had been hidden in before. "No one outside this room need know about it. Should it ever become necessary. Which, I'm sure, we all hope it need not."

 

It felt like Dennis almost had something to say but given the opportunity he simply licked their lower lip and remained silent. "Quite a convenient collection you have there," Patricia murmured still struggling to wrap her mind around the enormity of the situation.

 

"Yes, well, in our line of work there's quite a lot of opportunities that come our way. We always decline such jobs but the unsavory underbelly of any society knows no bounds. I reviewed some of the most recent... requests. Kidnappings, revenge murders, extortion, that sort of thing often involves children and the ones here all seemed to fit the... profile of what the Beast looked for. The selection provided are the children of elite individuals we personally wouldn't mind seeing... harmed." Here she exchanged a look with Blue. "Reaching them will no doubt be more difficult than the suburban spawn you hunted back home. Body guards, security teams, that sort of thing. But I think you, and more importantly a few others here who need not be given the opportunity to know about it, would agree that such targets might be more... morally forgivable, shall we say?"

 

Carefully Patricia nodded. "Always good to have the moral high ground," Dennis muttered to her surprise. Blue laughed sharply before looking apologetic and attempting to resume his stoic aura. 

 

"Are we done here?" Patricia asked. Ms Nagasaki nodded and Patricia rose to her feet. Her heart hammered in her chest as she walked to the door, Blue moving to follow her. He opened the door to her and nodded as she exited before closing it behind her. There was the click of a lock. In a daze she returned to the couch, settling again next to Victoria who hadn't moved an inch and was too consumed by her book, or merely polite, to asked about what had been discussed. Retrieving her own book, she held it up and stared at it unseeing for the next twenty minutes, mind racing. She was pulled abruptly from her thoughts by a shockingly sensual sigh that emanated from Victoria.

 

Lowering her unread book, Patricia stared at the woman with wide eyes. Before she could even ask, Victoria began read aloud.

 

> _ All this sounds like a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. And yet, instead, it is a glance toward reality. Or better, a glimpse of reality, a little less veiled than our blurred and banal everyday view of it. A reality that seems to be made of the same stuff our dreams are made of but that is nevertheless more real than our clouded daily dreaming. _

 

With a dreamy smile she let the book fall to rest against her chest and glanced at Patricia who wordlessly arched an eyebrow. "Beautiful, isn't it?" The woman sighed again.

 

"What on earth are you reading?" Patricia asked, unable to resist a growing feeling of amusement.

 

Holding the book back up, Victoria showed her the cover. "Reality Is Not What It Seems, by Carlo Rovelli." She opened it again. "It's about quantum gravity." With a smile she disappeared back into her reading.

 

"Of course it is," Patricia murmured, deeply pleased to be shaken out of her daze by such a peculiar quote. Once again, her dear Victoria coming to her aid, assisted by a book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only 10pm! It's still technically Wednesday! Haven't missed my self imposed update deadline... but only barely. Holidays, man... it's hard. Could barely write this week so I wound up mashing together this week's & next week's chapters in order to actually have something interesting happen. Oh dear, my schedule is now in chaos... I guess next week's chapter is probably still titled "Everything is fine"? Or maybe I'll jump forward to "Let's not talk about it", we'll see... 
> 
> On the up side, yay! Only ~130k words and 12 chapters but now everyone is where I want them to be, location wise. Yes, yes, some severe hand waving to speed things up but whatever. I feel like I finally have enough space to play with my dolls the way I've wanted to since the beginning.
> 
> Other things: music!  
> \- [Feed Me by High Noon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEjVtVvWR40) is a silly track that makes me think of Patricia arguing with the other alters. Track samples dialog by Tilda Swinton <3 so... seems Patricia-ish to me  
> \- [Natural as song by Chase Holfelder (original by Imagine Dragons)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nEC9e2kHpY) is basically Ms Nagasaki's theme song
> 
> In closing, shout out to reader Hannah for being such a sweetheart of a reader. Much love for taking the time to let me know you've glanced at some of this madness.


	13. Everything is fine

Sitting on the bed with her back to the wall, Casey finally decided to just ask the question. "What's with you and Patricia?" Victoria of course froze, midway through the act of unbraiding her hair. After a moment she resumed working her fingers through it.

 

"I don't understand the question," she replied calmly.

 

"Do not be this dense, Victoria," Casey warned, glaring at the woman. "You understand exactly what I'm asking." Victoria blushed and shook out her hair which she conveniently hid behind briefly. Combing it back she gave Casey an innocent look.

 

"'With' is a very ambiguous word. I would say that Patricia can be overly friendly but I do enjoy her company, just as I enjoy the company of many of the others."

 

"Are you going to fuck Patricia?" Casey calmly asked and watched as Victoria reacted far more dramatically than the question warranted with furious protests and tongue tied embarrassment. Idly Casey wondered what her reaction would be if someone asked the same about her and Dennis. Thankfully she doubted Victoria would have the nerve to throw the question back at her.

 

"It's not a sex thing," Victoria eventually said in a defensive tone, winding down her protests.

 

"I assure you it is," Casey muttered, crossing her arms.

 

"It's not just a sex thing," she amended before adding, "and so what if it is?" Victoria huffed, bringing her fists to her hips. "Is it so strange and unnatural for someone to- to- to fancy me?"

 

Casey paused for a moment, a little surprised that the woman would actually acknowledge the situation and sound so accepting of it. "Victoria... I'm sure lots of people 'fancy' you... I just think.. maybe one of them who might not be, you know... crazy... might be a better... fit."

 

Victoria snorted and looked away, blinking rapidly as if to keep clear tears from her eyes. "That's easy for you to say, all young and pretty and your life ahead of you." Casey gave her quite a stunned look at that. Her skin crawled at the thought of being grouped with other girls her age. Young and pretty was certainly not how she thought of herself and a knot formed in her stomach as she reflected on how someone might view her if they knew everything.

 

"You don't understand," Victoria continued. "It's... not as easy as you might think to find some who... likes you. For the right reasons." Before Casey could say anything Victoria hurried on to make her point. "Yes, perhaps someone has said I'm pretty before, but most people think... well..." She twisted her fingers and seemed to struggle with what she was trying to say. "Most people find me a little... odd. Maybe, you know... too odd. Yes, they say I'm nice or maybe pretty, but no one ever really listened to me or took me seriously, other than... Orwell. And now..." She apparently couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence but it was clearly unnecessary.

 

"Victoria," Casey sighed, "I don't think you're crazy."

 

"Yes, well," she said peevishly, "It's not like I fancy you or you me so it's hardly a fair analogy." Victoria immediately sighed and continued with a calmer voice. "Though, thank you. Your vote of confidence does make me feel better. I do feel so out of place in all this... maybe if I actually was crazy I'd fit in better here." She laughed and then quickly added, "but I'm not crazy."

 

"No, you're not." Nodding her head, Casey rubbed her hands together thoughtfully. "And you're also saying that it's not crazy to maybe appreciate some attention by our questionable companions?"

 

"That's not-" Victoria paused and seemed to re-collect her thoughts. She looked quite nervous as she leaned in and Casey braced herself. "I couldn't help but notice you seem to spend a majority of your time with...Them talking to Dennis," she said. Casey just looked at her, disinclined to answer the implied question. She was surprised when the woman tried again, more explicitly this time. "It's just... I don't want to judge, but... I mean, isn't it a little strange? Given your... history? I would have assumed someone like Barry or maybe even Jade would be more... compatible. Or fun, I meant 'fun' to talk to."

 

Casey leaned back a bit to stare at her friend. "I'm surprised, Victoria... That's almost...rude of you to say." The woman gulped and immediately looked worried. She began to stutter as she tried to back peddle. "He helped me kill my uncle" Casey explained, cutting Victoria off before she could get too worked up. When the woman gasped in absolute shock and horror she remembered Victoria had never actually heard the truth about the Horde's return, nor her family history, and she winced. Not wanting to really get into all that at the moment, she mumbled, "it was my idea." From the sound Victoria made that hadn't really helped.

 

Casey looked away, not feeling up to dealing with the task of handling Victoria's sensibilities just now.  She regretted bringing the whole subject of the Horde up by this point. Once again Victoria had managed to derail a reasonable conversation into strange and uncomfortable territory. Thankfully the woman took the hint and didn't say anything further. After a while Victoria moved to her bedside and selected one of the many volumes she'd pulled from the shelves downstairs. Though she hesitated for a moment at the door, Victoria eventually left the room without another word and Casey felt she could finally relax.

 

Sighing, she laid out on the bed and closed her eyes. It was easy enough now to trace all the walls of her new room with her sight and she worked for a while at focusing and straining for details. It felt almost like running her fingers over the wall as she traced a series of cracks with her mind's eye, except far creepier and vaguely difficult. After about half an hour she relaxed and rubbed her forehead, the experience having left her with a minor headache.

 

Lacking anything better to do, she pulled herself off her bed and headed down to the main space. Dinner had ended an hour ago and the washup team of Barry and Joseph had apparently finished. Victoria was curled up on the couch reading with what looked to be Orwell sitting next to her. As Casey descended the steps the woman looked up at her and then to Orwell. There was a worried expression there but she said nothing and seemed to return to her book.

 

Wandering over to the shelves that lined part of the wall, Casey gave the selection a casual perusal. The breadth of subject matter was interesting, ranging from books on etiquette to foreign language primers to architecture. Her fingers were resting lightly on the spine of an intro to Arabic book when she felt the faintest prickle at the back of her neck. Without turning, or reacting, she realized Max was slowly approaching the shelf. Approaching her. He seemed to move tentatively and when he reached her side appeared content to simply stand there, watching her peruse the selection. Casey resisted the urge to sigh, irritated that so many people here seemed to have staring issues.

 

"Any of these good?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him. She was surprised by the intensity of his reaction as he almost squawked in shock and stumbled back a couple steps. Both Victoria and Orwell lowered their books and looked to them in interest.

 

Max held a hand over his heart, clearly trying to calm himself as he straightened and stepped back to the shelf. "You noticed me?" he whispered, sounding quite disbelieving. Casey's forehead creased in confusion, the answer so obvious as to provoke her curiously on how he'd think otherwise. As if to answer her question, Max turned and looked over his shoulder at the pair on the couch. Casey felt a faint tingle, an almost electrical charge in the air as she watched the two blink and soon turn back to their books without a word.

 

When Casey turned to look back at Max she found him holding a finger up to his lips. With extreme caution he reached out to gingerly take her hand. The way he almost drew back at the last second had her wondering if he was scared of her. Silently she let him guide her over to the couch where they stood before the two reading there. Again he pantomimed for silence and, tightening his grip slightly, leaned forward to wave his hand in front of Victoria's face. The woman didn't even react.

 

The young man was looking quite proud of himself when he glanced back at Casey but immediately sobered when he saw the look on her face. Casey felt a chill run up her spine that had nothing to do with the hand holding hers as she contemplated what this sort of power could do. Though he tugged on her hand, she leaned forward and also waved her hand in front if Victoria. The woman simply turned a page in her book, a smile curling her lips. The tugging became more frantic as she turned towards Orwell.

 

She hadn't even fully extended her hand when he looked up, a puzzled expression on his face. Casey froze and she could feel Max tense up as well as the man before looked about the room, eyes sliding past her and Max unseeing. It was strange watch what was essentially Dennis's face wear such an innocently perplexed expression.

 

"Did you hear something?" he asked and Victoria looked up, the smile more evident as she tipped her head. Casey found herself holding her breath. Though Max continued to pull on her hand she remained locked in place in part by fright and in part with fascination.

 

"No, nor do I hear anything now," there was a pause as Orwell continued to scan the room, repeatedly skipping over the two who stood right before him. "Do you want me to go check?" Victoria offered, her amusement visibly shifting to mild concern as Orwell remained agitated. "Maybe Cadence is playing her music again? Have you picked up some residual super hearing from the Beast?" she teased with a smile.

 

Orwell snorted at that and looked back to Victoria, blinking owlishly behind his sizable glasses and returning the smile. Casey took the opportunity to take a quiet step back, and Max continued his rigorous tugging. "No no, stay. I want your opinion on that chapter so hurry up and finish reading." Shaking his head he turned back to his book. "If was probably one of the others," he mumbled, turning a page. "Hedwig sometimes likes to try and play tricks on me while I'm reading." Both Victoria and Casey gave the man a sad look at that, Victoria's however brimming with a notable longing. Casey watched her reach out but the woman hesitated, hand hovering next to his elbow before she carefully pulled back and gripped her book firmly.

 

With both of them again engrossed with their reading, Casey retreated to the kitchen with Max, who eventually dropped her hand. She immediately rubbed her arms, feeling a definite weird sort of guilt at having eavesdropped on something not meant for her. Max continued to watch her, looking a rather unsure and skittish. Casey fixed him with a hard look. "Don't ever let me catch you spying like that," she warned and he nodded rapidly, eyes widening.

 

* * *

 

Jacobson folded his arms and looked down at the pale man stretched out on the hospital bed before him. "You're certain?" He asked, voice heavy with skepticism.

 

The man on the bed hissed as the nurse next to him adjusted the bandage wrapped around what remained of his left arm. "Yes," he gritted out between his teeth. "It was just the two of them. I don't know how she did it but she picked off Brian the second we entered the room. I'm telling you, it wasn't just a lucky shot. And he-" the man gulped, staring at the bandaged stump. "He- he just-"

 

The nurse looked up at the man in the suit. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he said with that calm authoritative voice everyone working at hospitals seemed to possess.

 

"Shut up," the suit muttered. He however didn't follow it up with any further questions as a clear panic attack seemed to over take the man in the bed. With an irritated sigh he eventually turned on his heal and stalked out of the room. They'd waited a week for the sole survivor of the Reynold's massacre to come out of his coma and in the end he'd proven to provide little to no value.

 

Smith was leaning against a hallway wall and straightened up as he approached. "Sounds like it's something that makes her dangerous with a weapon," Jacobson muttered as the other man fell in step with him and they exited the building.

 

Under his breath Smith cursed but then turned it into a bitter laugh. "I mean, the fantastic lack of recorded footage sort of backs that, yeah. Maybe she won't be that bad if we catch her unarmed?" He shook his head and made a noise in disgust. "I'd say those fucking lights didn't work but I guess they kind of did. Too bad Connor was a fucking idiot and didn't properly secure the scene."

 

"Hey, don't speak ill of the dead," Jacobson muttered as they climbed into their car. He checked his watch and sighed. "They'll be done with her any minute now." Smith again cursed as they pulled out and drove across town. They reached the hospital a little late but thankfully found the doctor in the parking lot, struggling to hold a box under one arm as she fumbled with her car keys. The woman looked up at the car in surprise as it pulled up dangerously close to her, her eyes puffy and red. Jacobson rolled his eyes as he leaned back in the driver's seat, not looking forward to the drive ahead of them.

 

"Get in the car," Smith said, after thumbing down the tinted window. The doctor gulped and shook her head, the box she held clearly trembling along with the rest of her. "Dr. Stable," he warned, "do not make us get out to collect you." Jacobson pulled out his phone to check it. The box the doctor held burst open, papers spilling everywhere, as the woman dropped it and began sprinting across the parking lot. Jacobson closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat's headrest as Smith heaved himself out of the car with an irritated sigh.

 

* * *

 

"I want to go out," Mr Glass repeated. He pointedly unlocked his wheels and rolled forward. Ms Nagasaki and Blue exchanged glances. The two had moved in unison to stand between him and the exist, attracting the attention of everyone else in the common space when he'd initially made his intentions know.

 

"I really don't think that's a good idea," the older woman began to say. Elijah rolled up to her, his toes brushing the leg of her neatly tailored pantsuit. As expected, she did not move, though Blue reached down to grip the post just below his arm rest. A slow, burning coil of rage began to form in Elijah's stomach.

 

"I have been locked up for 15 years," his voice rang out throughout the warehouse, nearly as loud as if he'd used the PA system. "15 years of white walls and empty rooms. I have waited a week, as you asked. And now, today, I am going outside."

 

"It's, just," Victoria spoke a little to his left, though he didn't break eye contact with their host to look at her. "It's just, you're so very identifiable. I mean, with the chair and your hair..." At that, he slowly turned his head and glared at her. The woman twisted her hands together but didn't back down. "But I agree, you should be able to go out. But how about a disguise?" she suggested suddenly, looking around at the others for approval. "We could dress you in different cloths and I could cut your hair-"

 

"No one," he bit out, "is cutting my hair." Victoria gulped, nodded, and continued.

 

"We could... disguise your hair. And I'd go with you." She looked pleading to their host. "We'll look just like a... a grandfather and his," she glanced between them, clearly taking into account differing skin tone and various attributes. "And his nurse."

 

Slowly Ms Nagasaki nodded, though she didn't move. "Yes, if... " She ran her eyes over him again and he bared his teeth more than smiled at her. "If you are far, far less recognizable and if you understand that we can't help you if you get hurt out there... then we won't stop you."

 

"Why wouldn't you help?" Casey asked with a disgusted toned. He realized she'd come to stand behind him and felt warmed by idea she'd support him. "One slip up and you'd cut us loose? What sort of 'community' does that?" Hedwig hovered nervously at her elbow and Jeff stared at Elijah from his other side, the board game the three of them had been playing apparently abandoned.

 

Ms Nagasaki drew a deep breath and closed her eyes before gently exhaling and looking at the group again. "I simply meant we are not equipped to assist with the sort of severe medical treatment Mr Glass might need and, as you all know, all the hospitals have been put on alert for anyone matching the symptoms of osteogenesis imperfecta."

 

"I could probably hack the-" Cadence offered, approaching the growing 'discussion' but stopped at the glare she received from her employer.

 

"Yes," the woman said, clearly growing more irritated. "We could perhaps do something if it truly became drastic. But doing so exposes all of us, I just want everyone to understand the severity of the risk such a... whimsical action incurs for the entire group."

 

"I hardly think wanting to experience a normal life constitutes a whimsical action," Victoria muttered. Elijah couldn't help the way his lip twitched in amusement. He felt surrounded and supported by his three Furies, Casey clearly a perfect Tisiphone with Cadence and Victoria vying for the role of Alecto, pleased as they carried and echoed his complains onto their hostess.

 

"Actually," Cadence offered, shoving her hands in her pockets and trying to sound casual. "I think if I went with Mr Glass it'd be way less conspicuous. It's not like-" she again stopped short as Ms Nagasaki pointed at her and voiced a firm 'No.'

 

"We can't risk you if something goes wrong," the woman explained further, her tone indicating she found the outcome likely. Victoria sighed, clearly picking up on the implication.

 

* * *

 

Victoria finished tucking the fabric in on itself and then stood back to survey her work. No one spoke and she took that to be a bad sign. "It's... effective at least?" she offered. Mr Glass again picked up the hand mirror and inspected what she'd done.

 

"What if we add another scarf?" Joseph helpfully suggested though made no move to do so. It was the first contribution from her ring of spectators so far and Victoria latched onto it.

 

"Yes, if we just wind it so..." Mr Glass batted her hand aside before she could begin tucking the fabric around his neck. Looking past her, he glared at Hedwig.

 

"I thought one of you was a fashion designer or something. Can't he help?" Hedwig just bit his lip and shook his head, struggling not to laugh. Victoria set the scarf back down and picked up an effeminate pair of sunglasses Cadence had contributed to their costuming pile. These too were brushed aside before she could add them.

 

"You're just so... distinctive looking," Victoria said, wringing her hands. "I feel like anyone would still be able to recognize you." Mr Glass glared at her and gestured to the wrap she'd tied around his hair.

 

"My own mother wouldn't recognize me in this mess." He looked at his reflection again. "And she'd certainly not acknowledge me if she did..."

 

Victoria agreed the wrap looked wretched but it had been a last resort. She hadn't realized how difficult styling the man's hair would be when she'd made the suggestion initially. His signature part seemed to be permanently set and more than Mr Glass had looked aghast when she'd suggested taking a brush to his hair. Looking back over her shoulder she gave the group a look of desperation. With an exaggerated and exceptionally drastic sigh Hedwig stood up.

 

"Ok," he muttered and shook out his hands. "I can do this," Barry said with confidence and flashed everyone a smile. Joseph looked relieved and even Mr Glass relaxed a bit. Victoria was happy to yield the floor as Barry stepped up, immediately beginning to undo her work.

 

It took no more than twenty minutes before they were ready to leave, Mr Glass having been transformed into a rather generic, aged and unremarkable old man in a wheelchair. Barry even took a moment to futz with Victoria's appearance, convincing her to change into something more muted and bland. He fidgeted with her a hair for a bit, pausing at one point to mutter, "stop it" under his breath before arranging it into an unfamiliar bun at the base of her neck.

 

Ducking his head and stepping close when he was done, Victoria blinked in surprise as Barry discreetly pressed a small bundle of bills into her hand. "In case you want to, you know... pick something up," he mumbled. She looked at him wide eyed and he seemed to fidget further in discomfort. "Ms Nagasaki gave some of us an, ah, advance." Her surprise dwindled into disappointment, realizing once again that she wasn't part of 'the team' and apparently didn't warrant a position on the payroll. Not for the first time she questioned her place here amongst these unnaturally gifted individuals and worried not only what her future held but how long of one she even had.

 

Nodding her thanks, she was further surprised when Barry pulled out even more money, thumbing out a non-trivial sum and handing it to her as well. "And, ah," he flashed a smile at her. "Here's some extra if you could maybe pick something out for the girls? Jade likes pink, Felicia and Polly white, Patricia yellow, Mary is fond of greens..."

 

Smiling, once again charmed by Barry's thoughtfulness, she tucked the money away. "Rakel..?" she asked and then tipped her head when he shook his.

 

"That girl doesn't need anything from, ah, anyone," he answered with some awkwardness. He rolled his eyes dramatically and grinned again. "Kat and Norma don't really care and I wouldn't dare make you pick anything up for Bernice." With another wink and a pat on her shoulder, he headed back to the group.

 

* * *

 

Barry moaned enthusiastically, spoon in mouth and eyes closed. Joseph just snorted at his antics and dug out another bite for himself from the carton.

 

"Oh, can't you just taste it, babe?" Barry asked, and moaned again, this time drawing choked laughter from Joseph.

 

"I fucking hate you," Jade growled and Joseph grinned, familiar now with how their banter went. "Die in a fire, bitch. But take another bite of the peanut butter one before you do." Grinning, Joseph slid the pint he'd been eating out of over to Barry who dug out a generous spoonful.

 

"Oh, yeah," he said around the spoon his mouth, playing up his delight. "I actually hate peanut butter," he whispered as an aside to Joseph, before taking another scoop, "but it's her favorite." He was mid-moan when David walked in the room and immediately the sound became choked and both men sat up a little straighter. Barry quickly set his spoon down on the counter and clasped his hands in his lap looking in every way a guilty child and Joseph struggled not to do the same.

 

David stared at the two for a moment, looking somber, and Joseph worked to remember that that was just how his father looked. It was hard to hold onto some times and it certainly had caused some issues in his youth. His mother had always joked about how his father had worse resting bitch face than she did and, like all her jokes, it'd been a little too true to be funny. The way Barry seemed to almost shrivel under the man's gaze proved his old man still had it.

 

It took effort, but Joseph fought back the unease and smiled at his dad, holding out the strawberry carton he'd swapped with Barry. "We're having ice cream, want some?" Barry seemed to tense up further at that and shot Joseph a nervous glance before looking back to David and smiling weakly. He held out the peanut butter swirl carton as well. While Joseph wasn't surprised, Barry twitched as David moved around the counter towards them. The man flinched again as David reached past him to open a drawer and pull out his own spoon. David continued to eye Barry warily as he plucked the carton from the man's hands and dug out a generous bite for himself.

 

He ate a second bite in silence before nodding his head slowly. "That's damn good ice cream." More silence followed the statement and Joseph, sighed, realizing it was up to him to keep things sailing smoothly.

 

"It's amazing what you can get delivered these days, isn't it?" he asked casually, glancing between the two men. Digging out another bite of strawberry, he handed the carton back to Barry. The man held it, looking nervously between father and son. "What you up to, dad?"

 

David looked at the spoon he'd just licked clean, turning it over several times. "Just waiting up till Elijah and Victoria return," he said in a calm voice. "Wondering if we're going to have to do anything stupid to rescue them from themselves." Barry didn't resist as he reached out and took the other carton after passing the peanut butter one to Joseph. "What are you up to?" he asked, glancing at Joseph who felt the beginning of a blush creep up his neck. His father scooped out another bite and raised an meaningful eyebrow. Joseph realized that maybe his father's stare hadn't been entirely accidental.

 

"Tormenting the diabetic with ice cream," Barry replied, to Joseph's surprise, smiling weakly and finally picking up his spoon again. David's brow creased slightly and handed the carton back to Barry when he reached for it.

 

"I thought-" he started to say and Barry nodded, shoving another far smaller and reasonably sized bite into his mouth.

 

"Jade's the diabetic," he said, still nodding. "Cadence digitally conjured up an insulin prescription for her, thank god, but it was the wrong kind." His gaze jumped briefly to Joseph, neither one apparently willing to voice the fact they both agreed she'd likely screwed it up on purpose. "The right stuff will show up tomorrow but in the meantime she's gotta' stay out of the Light."

 

David glanced between the two of them, reaching into the carton Joseph held. "So... you decided to eat ice cream?" Barry coughed awkwardly and looked the other way, apparently embarrassed to have his behavior called out. "I thought Dennis and Patricia were the evil ones," David said, expression still stoic and voice flat.

 

Barry's eyes widened dramatically at that and Joseph quickly interjected, "That was a joke! That was a joke... Dad, what did I tell you about your sense of humor?" He smiled reassuringly at Barry who returned it weakly.

 

"Ha..." Barry managed before he swallowed nervously and went for another ice cream bite. "We're also waiting up for Victoria and Mr Glass," he added and Joseph nodded in agreement. They continued to stand watch together, finishing off the cartons and somehow managing a pleasant, civil conversation till the pair eventually returned. Neither appeared harmed or distressed, and both were mildly offended at the very thought of them needing help. Joseph caught sight of Barry and David exchanging looks as well as eyerolls at this and he smiled.

 

* * *

 

In a way it felt even more strange getting to the job than actually working it. The car ride over was tense, the unknown hanging heavily over them all. David seemed calm and collected but then again he'd been working security for years so this was likely nothing new to him. Casey however had barely been able to sleep since reading the report Ms Nagasaki had passed around. Apparently this was just a normal security hired-muscle sort of gig, an excellent trail run she'd assured them all. It seemed horrifying to Casey however that this would be her first official job she'd ever worked. She suffered not just the normal first-job nerves but also extreme doubts about her own powers with an additional layer of worry over getting killed.

 

Hedwig sat in the back, next to her, practically vibrating with excitement. There'd been many admonishments and warnings that he wasn't to take the Light while they worked. The ride over however seemed to not count according to his logic and so Casey had endured a barrage of questions ranging from if she was scared to what various buildings were to a long series of increasingly nonsensical what ifs involving possible outcomes. Though she remained aloof and didn't try to encourage him, she secretly appreciated that at least someone else was visibly nervous about this.

 

When they reached the building, Blue handing the keys of the car over to some valet, Casey did her best to look as calm and effortless as everyone else. Dennis gave her an encouraging nod but remained silent as he fell into step next to Blue, behind Ms Nagaskaki. Casey followed behind them, eyes facing forward and Sight running everywhere.

 

Once they reached the lobby they were quickly shepherded into a side door, bypassing the metal detector Casey noticed. Someone spoke quickly and quietly to Ms Nagaskaki and they seemed to not even notice as she and David shook his hand during the introduction. Blue, Dennis, and Casey remained unremarked upon though the individual did sweep an assessing gaze over them.

 

Another individual arrived, flanked by two silent burly men in suits, and Casey recognized him from the job packet. He too looked over everyone before leading them to a private elevator in the back. His two goons continued to stand beside the man while the rest of the group fit themselves in the spaces around them.

 

Casey felt a little dizzy as the elevator rocketed up to a ridiculously high floor, her Sight dragging across the floors they passed far too quickly to process and the visuals she did collect momentarily overwhelming. Though the elevator was spacious, it was still a little crowded with the nine of them packed in there. She noticed David taking the opportunity to lightly brush against one of the goons but the other and their client stood out of his reach.

 

There was no ding or other indicator that they'd reached their destination or which floor they'd ended up on, the doors simply slid open. One of the goons shifted on his feet and Casey saw him reach into his coat to touch the Beretta 92F he had holstered there. There was a pause and David and Blue stepped out to presumably scan the area. When Blue caught her eye she shook her head, not having identified anything she'd call a threat.

 

They didn't have long to wait. The man that walked into the room did so with extreme confidence and self assuredness. The fact that he was followed and preceded by four men who looked about the size of NFL linebackers certainly helped but Casey guessed he would have had a similar air even alone. He spared not a glance for anyone other than their client, approaching with a wide but soundly artificial smile.

 

"Roger. This seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?" The man approached within a couple of feet and stopped. His gaze appeared to be fixed on the briefcase that their client was holding. "I assure you, we're all here today to perform a basic business transaction. All this muscle, it's so unnecessary. Almost demeaning when you think about it. Aren't we just two businessmen doing business?"

 

Their client remained motionless but the goon next to her seemed to grow a bit more nervous. Just a minor twitch and rub of hand on his pants leg but in a room full of tense, armed, and presumably violent individuals it seemed quite glaring.  

 

One of the other man's body guards looked them over and did a double take when he saw David. She watched him turned to look again at Dennis before he leaned forward and spoke into his employer's ear. Once again Casey regretted her lack of lip reading skills. The man's eyebrows rose dramatically as his gaze now skipped over the lot of them.

 

Now it was their client's turn to look cocky, lifting his chin as he spoke. "The money. Where is it?" The other man blanched and gestured behind himself to where a smartly dressed woman stood. She hustled forward with her own, similar briefcase which she handed over to her employer. Passing it into the hands of the observant goon, he thumbed the locks and flipped it open. The thing was packed with neatly stacked and bound bundles of bills that Casey didn't even need her Sight to verify we're of exceptionally large denominations.

 

The man on their side kept fidgeting, which in turn kept Casey on high alert. While the other side seemed to have collectively registered who David and Dennis might be, they didn't twitch in the same subtle ways this guy did. Thankfully nothing came of it during the encounter, briefcases were exchanged along with another hand full of thinly veiled threats but Casey didn't know these guys and therefore didn't care. The important thing was that nothing happened that required them to do anything beyond standing around and, in the guys' case, look tuff.

 

When the exchange was over, the other party slinked away and their guy lead them back to the elevator. On the way Casey managed to catch David's eye and significantly glance towards the fidgeter. Something just didn't seem right and she was happy to see David shift over enough to brush against him as they pulled into the elevator. Leaning over, he whispered into Ms Nagasaki's ear during their descent, Blue pointedly clearing his throat as they did so to provide audio cover. The woman nodded and remained impassive.

 

* * *

 

Reaching across the table, Ms Nagasaki neatly dropped a stack of bills in front of Casey and then David before she leaned back in her seat. Patricia pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow, pointedly glancing at the barren desk before her. "A bonus, from our client," the woman explained, resting her clasped hands on the desk. "They apparently appreciated the tip."

 

"The tip?" Patricia asked dryly, watching as Casey picked up the money and marveled at it. David frowned, unhappy but aware that in a way he and Joseph's life now depended on this sort of thing. Unsurprisingly after years of using his powers on the sly, performing the occasional heroic act here or there when he could, it felt different to apply it so casually and openly. Seemed to almost cheapen it, and he stoutly refused to admit it also felt maybe a little good. With a heavy sigh, he reached out and grabbed his reward, shoving the cash into his pocket before settling back with an unhappy frown and crossed arm. Patricia muttered under her breath to him, "if you don't want it, I'll take it."

 

"Apparently one of his team members had sold him out. The tip David provided, prompted by Casey's observations, pointed him in the right direction to verify this. If it weren't for us that exchange would have gone... very differently. Which, I believe, contributed to the generosity in expressing his feelings. Don't get used to that, tips are normally never that large, if they're even given at all." She glanced at Casey, who was still staring at her cash in wonder. Passing out the next job packets, she smiled at the girl. "Don't spend it all in one place," she offered helpfully.

 

* * *

 

"I don't need to know how to shoot," he said, defensively.

 

"Of course you do," Casey said, heading to the weapons locker. "You can't always expect to be in arms reach of the problem." Dennis was shocked when she drew out a key and unlocked the mesh doors. Seeing his expression she grinned. "Blue gave me my own key. Said I can use whatever I want, whenever I want." Reaching into the cage, she ran a finger along the stock of one of the larger rifles. The sight of course was arousing, his treacherous mind tracking the gesture and envisioning so much more. "I know I shouldn't, but I can't wait till we need one of these for a job."

 

With a harsh shake of his head, Dennis managed to avert his gaze. Turning, he examined the clothing rack that lined the wall next to him. "If we needed those, it would likely only be for posturing reasons. Ms Nagasaki doesn't seem like the type to take a job that would be volatile enough for..." He glanced back and saw she had retrieved one of them and was examining it up close, "... those."

 

Glancing up, her hands stilling, she gave him a questioning look. "But why would they have all these weapons if they didn't need them? Seems like expensive posturing." She shouldered the rifle, thankfully not pointed at him, and sighed down it. The way she tipped her head ever so slightly towards the weapon was enticing. Dennis found himself captivated by the way her fingers wrapped around the grip and he licked suddenly dry lips. "Dennis," she said in that voice and he knew he'd gotten lost staring at her.

 

Clearing his throat, he tried to recall the last thing she'd said. "What is expensive in comparison to a life? Especially the life of someone Pure?" he asked and she lowered the weapon to turn and look at him. "If looking dangerous keeps her people safe, I'm sure she'd spend as much as she needed." Casey continued to give him a look that he couldn't read and he shifted his weight to his other foot. The rack held nothing of interest, just a series of suits that looked to all be Blue's size as well as some light body armor. "Are you going to teach me to shoot that?" he asked, as she pulled out a large but rather odd and stubby looking gun. Casey laughed and ran a hand over the weapon and Dennis felt the need to look elsewhere in the room again.

 

"It's a bullpup submachine gun," Casey said with a slight note of awe to her voice. "I've never held one before... My friend Hayley- from the range I went to when I was staying with Victoria- she used to go on and on about how it was her favorite gun." Shouldering the weapon, she seemed to enjoy the experience of how it felt. Dennis swallowed. Alternating between clenching his fist and flexing his fingers, Dennis wandered to the other side of the room as he tried unsuccessfully to not watch Casey play with her new toys. That she was so delighted by them was the primary source of his problem. That they happened to be dangerous, vaguely phallic, and the epitome of masculine power were minor details. If she were just as enthusiastic about, say, fruit he knew he'd be in just as much trouble. The girl's delight was his weakness, or at least one of them.

 

The knives that lined the opposite wall were numerous and diverse. From slim matching sets of three to large, almost costume like blades, all of them were hung neatly and suggested a similar sort of gluttony of violence that the gun rack did. Dennis leaned in to look at a particularly narrow, yet serrated blade when Casey startled him by speaking right behind him. "How about we start you with the G22?" She was standing far too close and held a rather ugly black gun between them. Dennis nervously rolled his lower lip under his teeth as she continued. "It's a Glock forty and is the most common gun cops use." His heart raced and he didn't know what to do as she continued "Being familiar with it would be a good idea because given your history it'll probably be the sort of gun you'll be able to pick up and use in the middle of a situation." He was supposed to do something, but he didn't know what. All he wanted to do was watch her, to have her keep talking to him, to watch her touch him. "Dennis," she said again in that voice and he let out a shaky breath and looked at the ceiling.

 

"That's fine," he said, looking at the plain concrete above. It was chipped and dented in places, far more interesting than the hospital's had been. "Whatever you think is fine." There was a pause but he didn't dare lower his gaze and look at her.

 

With a snort, Casey's voice took on a teasing tone. "Does the idea of 'the mess' really upset you that much?" Dennis's head snapped down and he looked at her in confusion.

 

"What? No," he muttered, unhappy that she genuinely seemed to think him made so uneasy by the thought of excessive violence or use of guns. "Casey, I-" he started to say but thankfully the sudden change in her expression suggested she now understood the problem. To his absolute mortification, she slowly looked him up and down.

 

"Do I upset you that much, Dennis?" she asked, a faint crease forming between her brows. Now Dennis truly felt panicked, he ran a hand over his head.

 

"Casey," he said, though it felt like an iron band was squeezing his chest and it was hard to breath. "I'm sorry. You- You know I can't help it- I would- You know- I'm sorry. I'm trying to be good," he gasped and and lowered his head to stare at his feet. She was so close that he couldn't help but glance at her legs as he looked down so he inhaled and hurriedly looked back up at the ceiling.

 

There was a pause and on one hand he was thankful she didn't immediately start cursing him in disgust. On the other hand he felt himself grow more fearful with every second that passed in silence. "I'm confused," she said eventually, the tone of her voice suggesting the same. "You... it doesn't seem to normally be this bad." There was a soft rustle of fabric as she moved a limb perhaps, but Dennis refused to look down. "I'm sorry, I... I thought you were scared." The laugh Dennis gave in response to that was bitter and sharp. Given the way Casey drew in a quick breath in response, he immediately regretted slipping so.

 

"I'm sorry," he mumbled again. "You're not wrong, I am scared. I'm sorry."  He clenched his hands into fists by his sides and wished she'd step back. He wanted her to step closer but he knew she would step away and he wished she would just do so and be done with it. The temptation of her being so near made it difficult to think. He flushed with embarrassment at having to explain his behavior and with embarrassment on her behalf for having to ask.

 

There was the faintest brush of fingers against his sleeve and he jerked back, bumping up against the wall. "Dennis," Casey said in a calming tone, the sort of tone the zookeepers would use when they entered the animals cages. "Dennis, you don't need to be scared." The fingers returned, resting lightly on his arm. He swallowed and couldn't help himself. Looking down at her, he was caught in her wide eyed gaze and froze. "You're not scared of me, are you?"

 

"I'm-" Dennis struggled against the knot in his throat. He didn't want to tell her but he also knew he couldn't lie to her, that he owed her any answer she could possibly ask for. "I know I'm not supposed to- to- do or- or think things. These things. And with you- I know I'm not supposed to- I'm sorry, Casey." He watched as a blush began to creep up her cheeks. The hand on his arm trembled but then suddenly steadied and tightened as he felt her grab ahold of his other arm as well.

 

"So what? You're scared of me?" She tried to give him a shake but he was too big to be so easily moved. "You're scared of me because, what? I turn you on?" Dennis squeezed his eyes closed and just turned his head away. He felt her try to give him another shake. "Dennis, look at me. You're scared of me because you like me?" Nodding felt easier than opening his eyes so he did that first. "Dennis," Casey repeated herself. "Look at me."

 

Slowly Dennis opened his eyes and it took him another moment to drag his gaze up from the far wall to look her in the eye. She seemed sad which only made him feel worse. "I like you, Casey, and I don't want to see you upset. And I know I upset you, I'm sorry," he explained, hoping she understood. She stared at him for a moment before sighing heavily.

 

"Dennis," she said and then just sighed again in a way he couldn't understand. While in theory he had time to react, Dennis stood frozen as Casey stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his middle. Her embrace was loose but it pinned his arms to his side. Her head came to rest lightly on his chest for a moment and she sighed again. "Dennis, you don't upset me, ok? How about this- I promise you don't scare me if you'll promise I don't scare you, ok? No scaring each other any more?"

 

Her arms were warm and soft and wrapped around him and they weren't fighting and he didn't understand what was happening. Blinking rapidly, Dennis just stared at the top of Casey's head. It took him a moment, during which she just continued to stand there, for him to realize she'd asked him a question. "Ah- If- Ok," he struggled to say in an effort to form the appropriate assent. His heart was racing and there was no way she couldn't notice. Thankfully she'd leaned forward for the hug and therefore was not pressed flush against him else she might notice some other things.

 

It would have been impossible for Dennis to recall exactly how much time had passed before Casey eventually released him and stepped back. She still held the gun she suggest he learn to shoot and raised it with a smile. "So? G22 it is?"

 

* * *

 

The range was just a short bus ride away, the trip taken in silence, the two of them sitting passively next to each other in the half full vehicle. Casey easily introduce herself to the shop owners, provided the lovely new fake ID that had arrived just the other day, and got herself and Dennis set up on a lane way down the currently empty line.

 

The tension that ran through Dennis as she tried to instruct him on stance and form was electrifying. The intensity of it was stunning and still hard to attribute to herself and not just a fear of the weapon. She'd gotten used to several of the others being frightened of her due to her powers or what she’d done at the hospital but this was different. After about ten minutes of instructing him and running through an initial round of shots, Casey was prepared to acknowledge that it was perhaps a little intoxicating too. The feeling of a different kind of power she got by lightly brushing his arm to raise or lower it and feeling him tremble while he did so was quite heady. That Dennis had a problem with staring at her wasn't new. That he was frightened by the intensity of his own feelings was however.

 

Unsurprisingly he was a good student and a good shot. Though she took every opportunity to step close and correct him on the range, she was careful to not interrupt his focus while firing. The results of this were quite impressive, given it was his first time at a range. She, in turn, allowed herself a brief indulgence of flaunting her power, verifying that her accuracy was maintained at distance regardless of whether she looked with her eyes or not. Her Sight reached well over half way down the range, nearing fifty feet she found.

 

When she was satisfied that he'd learned as much as he could at the range in a day, they made their way back to the warehouse. The bus home was far more crowded at this hour and she found herself standing next to Dennis as the doors closed behind them. She felt vaguely giddy with delight from the practice mixing with the further realizations of the sort of power she held over him. When more people piled on at the next stop, she easily took a step in close to him, resting a hand lightly on his bicep for balance. The man was a tightly coiled knot of nerves and muscle under her fingers but he remained outwardly calm. With a careful motion he turned to stare at her and it was difficult to believe he had said she scared him. When she looked, she could see the faint flush creep up his neck but it was easy to miss.

 

A light changed and the bus shuttered to a stop that caused the passengers to sway and which Casey used as an excuse to rest her other hand lightly on Dennis's chest. There, under her fingers, she could faintly feel the racing of a heart. She looked up at him from under her lashes and she watched as he drew a deep breath. It occurred to her that his usual tactic of saying her name all the time couldn't work out here on the bus, amongst people. They'd been repeatedly drilled on not using their real names in public, given the ongoing manhunt. A smile twitched at the corner of her lips as she scanned and verified that no one was paying them the least bit of attention.

 

The next stop had more people leaving than entering but Casey still took the opportunity to take another step closer to him. She pressed her hips against the side of his and he inhaled sharply. She gave him a disapproving look but was relieved when another scan suggested no one cared. Casey knew it was a bad idea when she ran her hand across his chest to grip his other bicep. She understood that at some point they would get off the bus, that she'd have to explain her actions to Dennis or, worse yet, herself or others. But at the moment, knowing he couldn't go anywhere and that he liked her so much that it apparently scared him, Casey wanted to know. She wanted to know what it felt like to run her hand over his chest and feel him tremble, she wanted to know what he'd do if she pressed close. Would he faint? Lose control of himself and try to tear her clothes off? Burst into tears? Running her other hand up to rest upon his shoulder, she wanted to know in what ways his desire for her would break him.

 

Another light cycle sent the passengers on the bus swaying and she shifted her hips, drawing a sharp breath when she encountered what she basically expected. It'd been a couple years since she'd last felt her uncle press up against her- drunken, clothed, aroused- so it was far from the first time she'd felt a grown man's erection. The memory lashed at her though and she tensed for a moment, growing as rigid as Dennis was. She heard a sort of strangled gasp from him but he moved not an inch as they stood there. That wasn't true, she could feel his cock twitch through the fabric of his slacks but she didn't think that quite counted. The bus continued to sway and Casey's nose bumped against his chest, breaking the spell somewhat. Her uncle had never been a fit man and it was easier after that to separate the memory from the present. It was actually quite easy, and slightly satisfying, to enumerate all the different ways this body she was pressed up against differed from her uncle's.

 

"our. stop," Dennis gasped and Casey suddenly drew a deep breath and stepped back. Someone else on the bus pulled the bell and when it stopped they piled off. They stood, staring at each other, and it didn't take long for them to be the only ones left standing out on the street. Of course the first thing he eventually said was, "Casey," and she threw her hands up in disgust and stepped in close to him again. Immediately he stepped back, bumping up against the bus shelter.

 

"What?" she snapped, putting her face close to his. "You get to be all creepy at me and I can't be creepy towards you? How is that fair?" Dennis stared at her with wide eyes.

 

"You- you can do whatever you want," he said, voice trembling. "Whatever you want."

 

"I know that!" she shouted, bringing her hands up to push against his chest. Again she was ineffective, but half a second later he took a step back of his own doing and stood, back flush against the bus shelter. She followed, stepping forward and again coming dangerously close. "I can do whatever I want," she repeated as the reality of the statement sank in. With palms resting on his chest, she closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. There truly was no one who would stop her if he wasn't going to, and no one to hold her accountable for her behavior other than herself. No doubt Victoria or David would have something to say, given the chance, but neither had the power to actually do anything. She was again reminded of how unmoored she'd become from her previous life, from normal life.

 

"I can do what I want," she breathed, pressing closer to him and watched him struggle with himself. He continued to flex hands that were held stiffly by his side and he again tipped his head back to presumably look anywhere but at her. It was a struggle to recall what she'd just said to him back at the warehouse, that she didn't want him to be scared of her. Upon first hearing it she'd felt bad for him, felt sorry for someone who'd feel so out of control that even she spooked him. But after the range and the bus ride and now, pressed up against him, she realized that wasn't entirely honest. Maybe the honest reaction was that she liked him being scared of her, just a little bit. That she liked having a little control of the situation, of him.

 

His arousal was again quite evident and she leaned her forehead against his chest as the two of them just stood there, breathing heavily together. When she moved a hand, trailing fingers lightly down his chest and stomach, he stopped breathing. As her palm slid across the front of his pants he inhaled heavily and seemed to press further back against the bus shelter behind him. It occurred her that perhaps she wanted to kiss him, that she was curious as to how it would go. There was the memory she often tried to avoid of Hedwig kissing her, lips pressing against her unresponsive ones like usual. Hedwig had been clumsy and uncertain, not that she had much to compare it to, and she wondered if Dennis would be similar. Her fingers curled slightly, gripping him through his pants and giving him a firm stroke. The strangled noise he made at this added to the slowly growing desire she felt pooling inside her.

 

With fists still clenched by his sides, Dennis appeared unable to stop himself from rocking his hips ever so slightly under her touch. Feeling reckless, she smiled as she spoke, "See, nothing to be frightened of." He didn't respond though he did shake his head slowly side to side. "No?" she asked, seeing this even as she nuzzled close to his chest. Another hard stroke of her hand up and down again and she was rewarded with a another excited sound. "You're not still scared of me, are you?" She kept her hand moving and felt his hips buck.

 

"No. Yes," he sounded extremely distressed. "It doesn't matter," he gasped, his breathing becoming almost panting breaths. "Whatever you want." Casey was fascinated by the pained expression he wore when contrasted with what she felt under her fingers. She gripped him firmly again and he moaned.

 

"Is this what you're scared will happen?" she asked, genuinely curious at this point. When he nodded frantically, she shook her head against his chest. "I don't understand, don't you... want this?" She lightly raked her nails across him and he seemed to almost sob.

 

"Not supposed to," he gasped between breaths. It seemed like quite a struggle and she waited as he tried again. "Casey," he said, again falling back on her name. She huffed against his chest in irritation but thankfully he continued. "I know I'm not supposed to- to have this. It's... it's bad. Wrong. I want it so bad," he drew a deep breath and again tried to correct himself. "But I know this isn't right. You don't... you can't..."

 

Not appreciating the implicating, she gripped him tightly enough to be painful and he gasped. "I don't think you or anyone else gets to tell me what I can or can not do. What I do or do not want." She relaxed her grip and gave him several enthusiastic strokes that had him raising up onto his toes in an attempt to escape. "You don't know me."

 

"You're right!" he cried in a strangled voice, hands flexing rapidly but still held by his sides. "I don't. You can do whatever you want. I'm sorry, I didn't meant to-" he was cut off as Casey pressed a kiss to his lips. She was impressed that he kept his hands well off her as he shuddered and shook, hips thrusting frantically against her as the kiss drew on longer. Familiar with such motions and behavior Casey was suddenly taken by a cruel curiosity. Her hand continued to move over him and her other slid up to grip his neck and hold him in place though he tried not at all to break the kiss. The panicked sounds increased and Casey was suddenly aware that out on a street, up against a bus stop was probably not the best place to play at breaking the man. He was clearly very close, his breath ragged and his cock so very hard under her touch. The idea of pushing him past his limits was so tempting, to watch as he came apart. She couldn't tell if his strange internal guilt would even allow him to enjoy his release when it came.

 

Unable to stop herself, she whispered to herself against his lips, "whatever I want" and applied the remaining pressure and final swift motions to send him over the edge. She could feel him twitch as he gasped her name, hips continuing to rock against her. Though she didn't draw back from him, she watched as he slowly relaxed, spotting for a brief moment a look of awe and peace as he leaned his head against the plexiglass wall behind him.

 

With a heavy sigh, she again shook her head. It was true that she could do whatever she wanted, but it was also true that she then had to deal with the consequences of her actions. Unsure how he would react and unwilling to explain herself, Casey pushed off and away from him. Lust churned within her but there was nothing she could do. She paused as he stared at her, unmoving, and she knew she should say something. Explain something or make an excuse. Instead she just turned and walked towards the warehouse, leaving him behind.

 

* * *

 

“I'm not liking these probability numbers,” Ms Nagaskaki said, glancing at the tablet she had before handing it Mr Glass. He looked at it, still not quite familiar with how the reports were generated but finding them absolutely fascinating. His eyes were drawn to the section she spoke of and he also frowned.

 

“BFP?” He asked, handing the tablet onto Cadence who just tossed it back to the table without looking at it, her eyes glued to her own phone.

 

“Big Fucking Problem,” the girl answered, thumb rhythmically tapping at her phone. The reflection in her glasses told him she was cycling continuously through the security feeds and he glanced back to the older woman with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Cadence's naming scheme, not mine,” she sighed, pulling the device back and navigating to another screen. “I don't like it, I think we should send someone out to investigate.”

 

“It’s a compilation of a number of factors,” Cadenced answered his unspoken question. “One of the health metrics tracking how likely one of us is... acting up somewhere.” Her head twitched as if she wanted to look up at him, but she seemed unable to tear her gaze away from the device she held. “Your behavior was quite foundational for the models I built, actually. Doesn't catch everything, barely blipped for the Beast’s emergence but it totally helped us track 'em afterwards and before that it highlighted Joe Carroll a lot sooner than the authorities caught on. Same with Chris and that guy in Seattle last year.” Elijah looked between the two in surprise.

 

“He was… like us?”

 

“Yeah. Super powerful and suuuuper unstable,” Cadenced drawled. “We wound up putting him down.” A cold feeling raced up Elijah’s back as he slowly turned to stare at Ms Nagasaki. The woman took a sip of her ever present tea and drew a breath before meeting his gaze.

 

“It wasn’t because he was unstable. We’re willing to work with instability.” She pointedly looked at the girl as she said this, the young woman not looking up from her phone. “But he proved too violent towards the others.” She laced her fingers together and rest clasped hands on the desk. “I am very tolerant, Mr Glass, but I do have my limits. Once someone joints the group, it is expected that they’re able to at least get along… with the other ‘Pure’, as the Horde puts it. If they won't join, that’s fine, but their… aggression needs to not be a threat to us. As for-”

 

“Casey’s back,” Cadence said, sitting up a little straighter in her seat. She frowned and tapped the screen a couple more times. “The Horde’s not with her… Do you think-”

 

“Cadence!” the older woman scolded, flashing Elijah an apologetic look. “I am absolutely certain they are fine, either focus or leave.” The girl sheepishly looked up at the woman and, after a moment of hesitation, put the phone down. The woman nodded and moved the tablet so they could all observe the data she pulled up on it. “Now I want both your… ‘Insight’, if you will, on several of these upcoming projects.”

 

* * *

 

Casey avoided them all for the rest of the day, which was easy enough to do hiding in her room like she was. The next day, however, was torturous. First there was Jade who gave her a look when she came down the steps. Though she didn't say anything, she did constantly glance at Casey while the girl ate her breakfast and talked with the blissfully ignorant Victoria. Casey winced as Jade clearly hurried to follow her afterwards, as she headed back towards her room.

 

"Um, hey," Jade finally said as Casey reached her door and opened it. Joseph exited his room just then and nodded to them both. They waited till he'd headed down the steps before Jade cleared her throat and tried again. "Hey, um, could we talk for just a second?" Casey arched an eyebrow. "In, ah, private," Jade amended, blush overtaking her. With a sigh, Casey opened the door and let them both in.

 

She knew she shouldn't be angry or irritated, she'd had hours to brace herself. It'd been difficult to sleep last night for a number of reasons so she'd had plenty of time to imagine how to handle this. At least they’d not sent Patricia to lecture her. Closing her arms over her chest she just lifted her chin. "Yes?"

 

"We're so sorry," Jade side in a hurry and Casey's eyes widened in surprise though she tried to keep her expression neutral. "He knows he's not supposed to bother you, please don't tell anyone. We promise we'll try harder to make him behave." Jade twisted her hands before her and looked quite desperate. "It- it- doesn't seem like you mentioned it to anyone yet which, we appreciate. He won't be getting the Light anytime-"

 

"What?" Casey interrupted, horrified at what Jade was saying. "What are you talking about?" Jade froze, her worry now mixed with confusion.

 

"The other day on the b-bus. Dennis behaved very inappropriately and-"

 

"You were watching us?" Casey gasped, mortified and angry at the invasion of her privacy as well as Dennis's.

 

"Well, only sort of." Jade winced and looked at her hands. "We caught only some flashes here and- and- there and it sort of, ah, came to our attention afterwards what had happened. Please don't-"

 

"What exactly is it that you think happened?" Casey asked, feeling her anger start to rise. Jade seemed to positively cower under her glare.

 

"Ah... Dennis misbehaved and acted-"

 

"Is that what he said?" She interrupted again, irritated with the man again for his ridiculous, self loathing nature.

 

"Ah," here Jade glanced at her and looked again back down to her hands. "Not- not exactly. He wouldn't tell us anything. He acted very guilty though so we-"

 

"Fuck you guys," Casey snapped, shaking her head in disbelief. "Just... fuck you. You guys are assholes." Jade looked again horrified and Casey wished she could actually do something awful to them. She immediately regretted any irritation she'd felt towards the man. "Dennis is, like, on your team. Shouldn't you try harder to be, I don't know, nicer? More respectful?" Casey ran a hand through her hair and made a frustrated sound. "Dennis didn't do anything wrong, ok? You guys better not have been cruel to him. And you better not be depriving him of the Light or I'll..." She clenched a fist, frustrated to not have any particular way to lash out at the rest of the group without hurting him. "What happened between Dennis and I- One, is none of your business. And two, was entirely my doing. So... you don't have to worry about me telling anyone." She glared. "Unless you want me telling Joseph and Victoria what assholes you are. Get out." She stepped past Jade, who flinched, and threw open the door. "Just get out. I don't want to see any of you until Dennis's had his turn in the Light."

 

Jade had slinked off and Casey had gone about the rest of her day in a simmering rage. The handful of alters that emerged during the day stayed well away from her.

 

Of course Patricia visited her room later that evening. There was the briefest moment when she thought it might be Dennis knocking at her door but no, the smirk was all Patricia. Without an invitation she stepped into the room and Casey closed the door behind her.

 

"Did you turn on him too?" Casey asked, watching as Patricia wandered their room, pausing to look at the pile of books on Victoria's nightstand.

 

"Of course not," Patricia murmured, nudging a book out of the way to read the ones below it. "Of course he could have attacked you worse than the others suspected and I'd still have sided with him." She smiled back at Casey who just rolled her eyes.

 

"Charming. Loyal like the bitch you are," she muttered without any real heat to it. It was good to know at least one of the group had Dennis's back. "I already promised to not tell and confessed it was all my fault," she added, "so why tear yourself away from 'dear Victoria' to come up here?"

 

"I think we both know why, child," Patricia said and walked calmly over to Casey who resisted the urge to step back given how close Patricia drew. Reaching out, she caught a lock of Casey's hair and wound it around her fingers. "You're playing with someone very dear to me and I don't like it." There was a tug on her hair but Casey managed not to wince. "We both know Dennis is exceptionally vulnerable to your... charms." She said the word with a sneer as she looked Casey up and down.

 

"Is this revenge for Hedwig kissing you when we... ?" Patricia's lip twitched as she paused again, clearly loath to voice the specifics of their shared past. "I spoke to him about it, after it came to my attention. He never told us about it, the naughty boy. Do know that we would never have- never mind about all that. Is this some sort of revenge against us?" Casey just eyed her, almost enjoying her slowly growing panic. For once they were both clearly aware of how much Patricia did not have control over the situation. "If this is some sort of twisted revenge," she continued after a moment of silence, "it reflects poorly upon you, child. Dennis is..." Patricia cleared her throat. "You should pick on someone your own size," she settled on.

 

There was another pause and Casey fought the urge to smirk. "Or what, Patricia? I think you're supposed to follow a statement like that with a threat. Funny though... What could you possibly do to me? Sick the Beast on me? Don't think that'll work, now would it. Hurt me yourself? Pretty sure Dennis would never forgive you for that." She tapped her chin in an exaggerated gesture of thought and watched the futile rage bubble within Patricia. "Seems to me like you're coming here and making demands that you can't back up. Seems-"

 

"Please," Patricia grit out from between clenched teeth. "Please leave Dennis alone. You are correct, there's nothing I can do to make you behave like a civilized, decent individual. I can only appeal to your better nature which I am greatly in doubt of though Dennis assures me you possess it in great quantities."

 

Casey held her stare a little longer, savoring the moment before she turned away with a sigh. "Unlike some people here, I am not a monster," Casey said as she walked over to the door. "I get your point, Patricia, and I promise I won't be cruel to Dennis."

 

"You'll stay away from him then?" Patricia asked archly, following her and once again holding herself like a regal bitch. Casey sighed and looked to the side, unable as well as unwilling to answer her. Patricia made a disapproving sound and frowned. Casey reached to open the door but Patricia reached out and placed a hand on it, holding it closed. "It's possible for him to shoo away any watchers but it takes effort," she said, eyes narrowed. "He can... easily get distracted and might... need an occasional reminder."

 

Casey flushed and tugged on the handle. Patricia stepped back and let her throw the door open. "Let this be a reminder," Patricia murmured as she stepped out of the room, "that nobody appreciates a meddler in their... private affairs." And with that she lifted her chin and swept back down the stairs.

 

* * *

 

Samuel had been in their room when he yielded the Light to Dennis, which he was certain was quite intentional. Looking around the room he observed the mess various alters had left about. Orwell's books took up over half the desk’s surface, Jade's clothing was in a pile in one corner while Luke's were in another.  With a sigh he looked around the room and moved to pick up the various items, touching the dirty cloths tentatively and dropping them in the hamper where they belonged. He knew he faced a decision and just contemplating it distressed him. He could hide in their room, tidying it and perhaps entertaining himself with whatever books Orwell had collected, or he could leave the room and face everyone else. Face Casey. With a gulp, Dennis set to making the bed, folding the sheets and ensuring the corners were crisp.

 

He hadn't heard directly Jade's conversation with Casey, he'd been kept far from the Light at the time as part of his punishment. Nor had he been able to eavesdrop on whatever Patricia said to her though she'd been kind enough to let him overhear her parting shot, therefore letting him know the conversation had taken place. Dennis ran a nervous hand over his head and looked around the now tidy room, at a loss for what to do next. He wasn't a coward... But he had no idea what he would say when he saw Casey. Even if the rest of the group hadn't intervened and made everything worse he would have been at a loss for how to handle the situation. Their meddling however only made it unbearable. With a heavy sigh, he sat on the edge of the bed and held his head in his hands.

 

"Come now, Dennis," Patricia murmured softly. "Don't sulk like this. I know it's not what you want to be doing." Dennis groaned at that but did not fight her as she continued to whisper to him. "I know you're braver than this. Come now, get up and go out there. Honestly, what's the worst that could happen?" Dennis rubbed his face, easily able to imagine quite a number of horrible outcomes that justified him staying in this room.

 

"What am I going to say to her?" he whispered back, ashamed to voice his fears aloud but trusting Patricia to help him.

 

She scoffed and he felt his lips twitch as if she wished to smile. "My dear, I'm quite certain you're not the one who needs to be distressed or embarrassed or say anything. She's the one who behaved abominably. She-"

 

"Patricia," he rumbled in warning, uninterested in hearing her heap further scorn upon the girl.

 

"She owes you an apology," Patricia persisted. "Or an explanation. Or... " Dennis shook his head, not needing that sort of encouragement and was both relieved and a little saddened when she moved further from the Light on her own accord.

 

Drawing a breath he stood up and left the room. The casual domestic scene that greeted him as he descended the stairs was a strange backdrop for the distress he felt and the encounter he braced for. Victoria and Elijah were reading while Casey, David, and Joseph sat around the table chatting with Blue hovering nearby, obviously listening but not included in the group.

 

"See, this model has a fisheye lense so when it's placed in a hallway like this it'll catch about this much," Joseph was saying as he scribbled on a sheet of paper between them. Casey looked up at Dennis and he swallowed thickly while the man continued to explain the subtleties of different security cameras.

 

"Hey, Dennis," she called to him with a shockingly casual tone. "Come join us. Joseph is giving us a crash course in how to evade building security." David looked up at him, bored, while Joseph's initial smile faltered briefly but remained in place. Slowly he left the stairs and was gripped by even more unease as Casey gestured for him to take the seat next to her. So there was no anger on her part at least, he was able to determine that much. When she flashed him an uncertain smile and gave his arm a brief squeeze under the table he felt a surge of surprise. The hand on his arm had been gentle, not a threat, and he felt his heart leap as he struggled to maintain a calm expression. They both turned to Joseph, who backtracked slightly and continued to share what he'd learned from his time in the industry.

 

It was possible to pay attention to the lecture, but only just. That David continued to occasionally glance at him ensured he did his best to pay attention and keep his eyes off Casey. That the information Joseph shared was actually interesting did help and his diagrams of hallways and stick figures in various locations were almost amusing. He could tell several others leaned near the Light in interest and curiosity. While on one hand he resented them for turning on him so quickly, he realized that being generous with his forgiveness would likely heighten their guilty feelings and prove further his innocence. Casey clearly didn't have a problem with him being there, twice more during the discussion she reached under the table to squeeze his hand, and he felt almost pride in the others witnessing it. Despite what had happened, she was not horrified or frightened by him and that gave him strength.

 

As Joseph wrapped up the lesson Dennis allowed Barry to voice a compliment and thanks which the young man clearly appreciated. Casey glanced at him with the faintest of frowns however and he immediately felt warry again. The look was fleeting and she gave him a tentative smile before turning back to Joseph.

 

"Yeah, I'll try to remember all that next time we're breaking into or out of a building," she joked. "Although I feel like the takeaway is to just bring a paintball gun along with us and just shoot everything we see affixed to a wall." David gave her a confused look. "You know, something quieter than a real gun?"

 

Joseph nodded. "Yeah, a lot of burglars use cans of spray paint. But by that point the jig is up, as they say. You're already on camera. Best way to avoid security is to, you know, actually avoid it." He said, tapping one of his convoluted little maps.

 

"Or, you know, not to break in in the first place," Victoria added from where she sat at on the couch, their discussion having thoroughly distracted everyone else in the room. Though she continued to look at Joseph, under the table Casey gave a gentle tug on Dennis's sleeve before bringing her hands up onto the table and pushing herself to her feet.

 

He was impressed with how nonchalantly she headed up the stairs while everyone else seemed to go about their business. Joseph and his dad fell into a recollection of some escapade of David's from a couple years ago and Victoria returned to her book. Blue however gave Dennis a look, eyes skipping to the stairs and back, as a slow smirk spread across his face. Dennis glared but the man just turned and headed towards the workout room without making any comment or scene.

 

Swallowing nervously, Dennis carefully pushed himself to his feet and, without comment, headed up the stairs. He felt certain everyone was staring but when he risked a quick glance back not a one of them seemed to be paying him any attention.

 

Casey's door was open and he nervously approached it. Before he could cross the threshold she stepped out and pulled it shut behind herself. With a jerk of her head they moved down the hall to his room and entered. His heart was racing and he walked to the center to give them both space. Glancing about, he was suddenly glad he'd taken the time to tidy the space.

 

With lower lip caught between her teeth, Casey tentatively approached him, hands clasped behind her back. "Hey," she said in a quiet voice, peering up at him. "I- I'm sorry about... about just running off after..." she nervously looked away and tucked her hair behind her ear. "It was seriously not cool of me to do so. I.. I know that."

 

There was a pause and she again looked up at him. It took him another moment to realize she was waiting for something from him, acknowledgment or acceptance or approval or something. He nodded sharply for lack of any better response. She was standing near him again and looking at him with such a warm, pleading expression that he didn't quite know what to do. That wasn't entirely true, he knew he wanted to do whatever would please her but he still hadn't quite figured out what that was yet.

 

"So you're... not angry with me?" she asked nervously. Before he could reply she laughed, "Can you even get angry at me?" She looked a little sad as she peered up at him and took another step closer. She raised a tentative hand to brush against arms he'd crossed defensively over his chest. "You should probably be angry," she mumbled.

 

His eyes closed, savoring the feeling while at the same time unable to look at her, too overwhelmed. "I'm... confused," was all he said, appreciating that she left her hand on his arm.

 

"That's reasonable," she said with another nervous laugh and he felt her step closer still. The warmth radiating from her was all he could ever want, he was quite certain of it. "I'd ask if you wanted me to- to not. To leave you alone," her hand slid up his arm and rested against his shoulder, "but I think we  already covered that." Another hand came to rest on his chest and it was like being on the bus again, her pressing so close, but this time there was no one else around.

 

"Casey," he breathed and she laughed softly against his chest. "I.. of course I want... This. You. But... Why would you... why me?" He looked down at her, a crease between his brows as he studied the top of her head intensely.

 

Her hands began to roam over his chest as she shrugged. "I- I mean... you're not bad looking," she said and again there was a nervous laugh. "I mean, let's be honest... you're... kind of hot. Really hot." She glanced up at him, again looking coy as he often thought she did but this time he was quite certain he wasn't misreading the situation. "Don't tell Luke but..." She shrugged and leaned forward to press a light kiss above his heart. "It's a nice body and you all take quite good care of it."

 

Dennis swallowed, watching her hands, so small and delicate, as they smoothed the fabric of his shirt over his chest. "You like Luke?" he asked in mild confusion.

 

Casey leaned back and scowled up at him. "No! Ew, no..." Leaning forward again, she seemed to just rest her forehead against his chest. "I like you. You're... nice. You keep your hands to yourself. You're smart and... and I can trust you." She shook her head, nose brushing back and forth against him, "I don't ... it seems a bit weird after everything, yeah? But I feel like I can really trust you. Both to do the right thing and to, you know, be smart and have my back. And right now, with all this," she raised her head to look around the large, still quite barren room he'd chosen to be theirs, before staring up at him again, "someone I can trust is exactly what I want." He could feel himself flush as she reached up to run her fingers across his neck and curl around the back of his head. When she pulled him forward, he was happy to comply, leaning in for a kiss that was more than he could ever have hoped for.

 

* * *

 

It was a nice kiss, one she was happy to continue. That he simply stood there, excited but restrained, made it all the better. She'd meant to just reassure him and herself with the kiss before continuing to talk through things. There was more she should say, she knew that, but at the moment all words seemed to pale in comparison to the feeling of being pressed up against him.

 

As she moved her mouth against his, she pressed closer still, wanting to feel even more of him, but he misunderstood or was actually somehow unbalanced and took a stumbling step back. They broke apart, both breathing heavily and staring at the other wide eyed. Casey nodded her head, growing even more confident in her course of action. She liked the way he stared at her so reverently, there was definitely awe there in addition to the arousal she herself was feeling. Licking her lips she approached again and pushed against his chest with an open palm. Obediently he backed further up and she pursued him till he bumped against the edge of the bed.

 

"I just," she started to explain while giving him another shove, "I just want to... to kiss a bit more." She swallowed, delighted that he sat down on the edge of the bed and continued to stare up at her. "Nothing more, ok?" She licked her lips and kicked off her shoes before climbing onto his lap. The man groaned as she straddled him and again he closed his eyes, head tipped back. She took the opportunity to place a kiss on his neck before pulling back and looking at him intensely.

 

"Dennis, just kissing, ok?" she repeated, suddenly nervous and needing him to understand.

 

"Yes, of course," came his strangled response. He blinked a couple times and stared at her again with those breathtakingly blue eyes. "Whatever you want," he whispered and she felt a thrill at the reminder of yesterday. She carefully removed his glasses and leaned over, almost sliding from his lap, to drop them on the bedside table. Orwell's glasses were there and she suddenly felt an uncomfortable twist in her gut.

 

Settling back on his lap, well aware of exactly how excited he was by the situation, she placed her hands on his shoulders. "No one... no one else is watching, are they?" she asked carefully. Dennis's eyes widened and then closed and she could see eyes move rapidly under the lids. He tensed under her and she held her breath, fascinated and confused as to what exactly was happening inside that head of his. When he relaxed, she breathed out a sigh and leaned in for another kiss.

 

"No, no one-" he'd started to say before she interrupted him and kept his mouth occupied for quite some time.

 

* * *

 

David lifted the bar again, breathing calmly and slowly brought it down and then back up. There was a rattle as he racked it, and he stared up at the ceiling for several breaths. Sitting up, he found Blue watching him, and the man leaned back, slow clapping for a moment before gesturing for him to move out of the way. Loading up the next round of weights, he settled himself onto the bench after shaking out his shoulders. David stood, arms crossed, and watched the man struggle through the act of benching that much weight.

 

They’d come to the unspoken agreement that it didn’t matter how you struggled, the game was to just bench the weight one way or another. Everything about the exercise had been unspoken, in truth. Both were men of few words and one-upmanship was a primal sport that didn’t require a lot of language. Blue had just racked the bar, David offering his own slow applause when the Horde walked in.

 

Both men watched as he sauntered over to one of the machines, and after nodding in brief greeting, set about to work. Blue and David exchanged a glance, both apparently equally unhappy at having their silent competition interrupted. David was surprised when Blue muttered something to the man in Russian. There was a pause, the machine’s weight lowering with a clatter, and then the Horde turned to look back at them.

 

“Dude, I’m not Kat,” Luke muttered and David felt himself scowl a bit when he recognized the man’s voice. Blue didn’t say anything further, but the way he moved to make room for David suggested he too was less than pleased. David found himself struggling more this time and he highly doubted the additional weight had anything to do with it. As expected, when he sat up again, Luke had wandered over and was leaning casually against one of the nearby machines.

 

“That’s a lot of weight,” he observed, nodding in an impressed manner. “I’m more into cardio, and you know, more of a low rep kinda’ routine, but mad respect, man.” Blue was behind the man and therefore could not see the look of disgust that flashed across his face. David managed to keep what he would have called a neutral expression though he imagined Joseph would find something to complain about it.

 

“Want to try?” he asked, obviously thinking of it as a challenge but trying hard to sound neutral about it.

 

Luke winced and rubbed the back of his head, glancing between the two men.  Blue muttered something else in Russian and Luke scowled at him. “Dude, come on. I’m not Kat, I don’t know what the fuck you’re saying.”

 

Spreading his hands in a broad shrug, Blue grinned. “No ya dumayu, chto yesli ya prodolzhu govorit', vy budete dostatochno glupy, pereklyuchites' na devushku.” Luke began to protest as he added, “Pochemu ty ne mozhesh' prosto ignorirovat' menya, malen'kiy chelovek?” David watched with interest as Luke’s agitation increased steadily before he suddenly was suddenly calmed.

 

There was a moment of silence as the Horde tipped his head slightly, eyeing Blue. “Blagodaryu,” he said eventually. “Ne protiv, yesli ya prisoyedinyus'?”

 

Blue smiled and nodded towards him. With a wave of his hand, he shooed David from the bench and made an exaggerated gesture of presentation towards it. “Eto byl plan s samogo nachala. Pomogi mne zdes', starik pinayet menya v zadnitsu.” He looked back to David and grinned. The Horde rolled his shoulders and flexed before moving into position.

 

* * *

 

It was torturous, waiting for Dennis's next turn in the Light. In the day and a half that passed the alters for the most part again seemed to try their best to avoid her. Polly wouldn't meet her eye and Jade would actively flee any time she entered a room. Hedwig at least seemed not to care and she nervously wondered how the others handled the subject around him. His invitation to join in the elaborate construction project he and Jeff were undertaking in the young boy's room seemed too enthusiastic and genuine to suggest he was had any clue as to the going ons in regards to her and Dennis. She sat on Jeff's bed and offered occasional advice to the two as they stacked, taped, and often knocked over the number of items they'd gathered for some purpose that was beyond her understanding.

 

Of course Patricia was an exception, boldly staring at Casey that evening from where she sat on the couch next to Victoria. The hand that very pointedly moved to drape across the woman's knee irritated Casey but she just pressed her lips together in frustration. She suddenly felt far less willing to take Patricia on in terms of what acceptable behavior consisted of. Victoria, caught up reading one of many papers scattered around her seemed as usual not to notice.

 

"Lovely evening, isn't it?" Patricia asked her in an overly friendly tone of voice. Casey just narrowed her eyes and left the two, opting instead to head to the gym and take her frustration out on one of the treadmills there. It was indeed a lovely evening and it irritated her that Dennis wasn't around to enjoy it with her.

 

The next day Barry and Joseph went out for groceries, the two returning full of laughter and good humor. She watched from the couch as they headed towards the kitchen, Barry glancing at her and then quickly away. Casey grit her teeth in frustration as she later heard Orwell and Victoria in excited discussion from within Elijah's room. After several weeks in their company, Casey realized she suddenly wished she knew the group's schedule and secretly felt foolish for having not picked up the weird rhythm or logic of it yet.

 

She was once again in the gym, this time struggling to practice with the frustratingly large and heavy punching bag the way Blue had shown them, when Dennis walked in. Spinning around she gasped in delight and threw her arms around his neck when he approached. The kiss was just as fantastic as it had been the last time and they both stumbled a bit due to her enthusiasm.

 

Dennis raised his hands to presumably try to steady them and after a moment, still locked in a passionate and ongoing kiss, lowered then to his side. She knew he flexed them, repeatedly opening and closing his hands, perhaps revealing some inner struggle, but he kept them off her which pleased her to no end. On the bed the other day he'd tentatively tried to touch her but he'd quickly corrected himself at the unhappy sound she'd made. She, on the other hand, let her hands roam over him, delighted by what she found.

 

She'd managed to untuck his shirt and slip her hands up under it, his undershirt bunching up and preventing her from reaching very far, when there was a knock on the door. Both of them froze as the sound continued, tapping out the classic 'shave and a haircut' rhythm. By the time it'd ended they'd both leapt away from each other and Dennis was desperately trying to tuck his shirt back in. Cadence waltzed into the room, shit eating grin plastered across her face and Casey felt an urge to punch the girl.

 

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, sounding absolutely delighted, "but Ms Nagaskaki was waiting till you'd show up, Dennis. Turns out we've a new job she'd love to review with you. Both of you," she added, gaze jumping between the two as she continued to grin. Dennis drew a deep breath, having successfully composed himself and nodded sharply. Glancing briefly at Casey he stepped forward and gestured for Cadence to lead the way. Casey swore under her breath, turned to deliver the punching bag a few more ineffective blows, and then followed, catching up just as they reached the woman's office.

 

* * *

 

With a groan, Patricia allowed herself to fall back onto the couch. She refused to think of it as a flop, she was certainly too dignified to flop onto a couch, but it was dangerously close. Tentatively she lifted the shirt she wore and probed at the welt on her abdomen. Blue dropped down next to her and chuckled. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a gun, then another, tossing both onto the table before them.

 

"That was good," he said with a grin at her and she couldn't help but smirk faintly at the praise. "Next time though, try not to get shot," he added.

 

With a wave of the hand, Patricia tried to keep the exhaustion from her voice, "We'll try to pass it along. Honestly though, I think he almost enjoys it." Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back. She knew they should return to their room, probably shower, but at the moment she felt too physical exhausted to consider it. There was no way she was climbing the steps, that much was certain.

 

"Enjoys it, hah!" Blue laughed. "I'd like to enjoy getting shot, that would be nice."

 

"Who got shot?" Patricia could hear Victoria call from the second floor and she cracked an eye open. The pleasure of seeing the woman was diminished by the sight of David glowering behind her. They both headed down the steps, Victoria in a rush and David approaching in at an unhurried pace.

 

"Is that- oh my goodness!" Victoria gasped, swooping in to perch next to Patricia on the couch. Her hands hovered over the torn shirt, the shot having shredded fabric if not flesh. Patricia smiled lazily, delighted at the feeling of being fretted over, and noticed Blue also grinned at the woman. Victoria looked at her in worry, wringing her hands. "Are you ok? Is there anything I can do? Should I get the medical supplies? Do you need anything?"

 

"I'm fine," Blue muttered though the woman hadn't spared him a glance. At the comment she did give him an embarrassed look before turning back again to Patricia. David reached them just then, eyes still narrowed.

 

"Some... some tea would be divine," Patricia murmured and the woman immediately leapt to her feet and hurried to the kitchen.

 

"And a beer!" Blue called after her, still grinning. He continued to smile as he glanced over to David and quirked an eyebrow. "Got something to say, old man?"

 

"What happen?" David asked in a tight voice. "Why are you here and not Dennis?" Blue and Patricia exchanged a look.

 

"Thought you didn't want to know about 'that sort if business'?" Patricia commented and looked back over her shoulder as Casey and Ms Nagaskaki joined them, the two talking in a hushed voices. David glanced at them as well and lifted his head in a vague inquiring gesture. The two women nodded to him in greeting but neither seemed inclined to provide any further information. Casey settled on the other couch and Ms Nagaskaki continued onto the kitchen as the girl looked Patricia over.

 

"Does it hurt?" She asked, sounding genuinely concerned. Patricia lifted the shirt again to reveal the welt and shrugged. Casey frowned and leaned forward, reaching out to touch it but Patricia caught her wrist and tutted in disapproval.

 

"Not with me you don't, child," she muttered and then smiled brightly as Victoria hurried back into the room with a steaming mug and perspiring bottle. Handing Blue his drink she waited an awkward moment as Casey settled back and Patricia patted the couch next to her. Nervously the woman handed over the cup and, with an embarrassed glance around the group, again sat next to Patricia. She continued to fret over the injury and soon jumped up again, against Patricia's protests, to fetch something else.

 

"There were complications," Casey muttered in response to David's continued looks. "We handled them. You guys handled them," she corrected as Patricia arched an eyebrow. "Don't worry," Casey added to David, "those guys were assholes and definitely deserved what they got." David's lips compressed to a thin line but he just nodded.

 

Again Victoria hurried back, two more bottles in hand and an icepack tucked under an arm. One she handed to Casey, the other drink she settled without comment on the end table next to Patricia and pressed several pills in her hands which Patricia quickly swallowed. There was some fussing with the ice pack to get it settled into place before Victoria eventually leaned back, calming herself. Patricia savored the experience and tried her best to ignore the sulking Casey. Again she yawned, struggling against the exhaustion that came after such an encounter, adrenaline having receded at this point and leaving her drained. She eyed the the drink next to her, both amused and annoyed by its presence. On one hand it was charming Victoria tried to be so thoughtful towards them all, on the other she loathed the implication she wouldn't be in the Light much longer.

 

Blinking, she realized Casey and David were further discussing the job and how close it'd come to falling to pieces. She gave her head another shake, refusing to step out of the Light just yet, wanting to enjoy the moment. More than just Dennis hovered at the edges and she resented the intrusion, she was owed this at the very least. As expected, Victoria was caught up in the recounting, casting Patricia occasional worried looks and gasping at the appropriate moments. Thankfully Casey glossed over the details of the interrogation, David's quick unhappy look suggesting he was quite able to read between the lines, and she was impressed with how generous the girl was at highlighting Patricia's role in their success. The admiration she'd been hoping for was there when Victoria smiled at her, the woman again reaching out to fuss unnecessarily with the ice pack. Those soft slender hands of hers rested lightly on her stomach for a moment, much to Patricia's delight, before sliding over to give her hand an encouraging squeeze. Though she'd have much preferred the contact to linger, Victoria drew back and clasped her hands in her lap.

 

Raising a hand to cover yet another yawn, Patricia struggled to sit fully upright. There was a notion perhaps of reaching out to collect Victoria's hand in her own, perhaps maybe even drape an arm about the woman's shoulders. Whatever had been her intent was lost as her eyes fluttered, no one but Victoria noticing the shift as it happened. The woman reached out, presumably to retrieve the mug Patricia had held, but the cup crashed to the floor as the Beast let it fall. Grabbing the woman's wrist, he pulled her sharply towards himself and she tumbled into his lap. His other hand had encircled her neck, twisting and pushing such that she was completely immobilized as the others around him reacted.

 

"No!" Casey cried out, hands suddenly reaching out to cover the exposed span of Impure flesh that he'd been intending to sink his teeth into.

 

"Hungry," he growled, glaring up at her as he hunched over his prey. The gun man had of course picked up his weapons and pointed them at him while the old one clenched his fists. The Beast growled and pulled the faintly struggling woman further against himself, knowing that they wanted to take his reward away from him. The two males shifted, assuming threatening postures, moving to defensive positions, and he hissed. He'd helped them, didn't they remember? Just as he'd promised, he'd helped them and he was certain he was owed his reward. His grip tightened and there was a muffled cry from the Impure he'd been given.

 

"No," Casey repeated firmly, moving to stand in front of him. She caught his face between her hands and tried to draw him up but he just jerked his head away and growled. He didn't appreciate her trying to stop him once again and grew angry at her, intending to fully ignore her silly commands. When the old one gripped the girl's shoulder however he felt a flare of anger and jumped up, letting his prey tumble to the floor momentarily forgotten. Casey quickly shrugged the man's hand off and both she and the Beast glared at him.

 

Staring at the old man, the Beast felt smug as Casey stepped closer, clearly his. His look turned self-satisfied when he curled his arm about her possessively and she leaned into the embrace. That she didn't fight him this time pleased him greatly and knowing it upset the other males pleased him further. He nuzzled her neck but then paused as he caught sight of the Impure as it tried to crawl away from him, towards the one with guns as if that would do any good. With an angry exhale, he moved to retrieve his reward but Casey caught him again. He liked that she pulled him into a kiss but he did not like the sudden attack he felt from within. When he tried to pull back in confusion, Casey just held onto him tightly and deepened the kiss, pressing herself against him.

 

It took Dennis a moment to realize he'd won the struggle and that the hands that wrapped around Casey were his. Relaxing his grip, he closed his eyes and rested for a moment against her. She in turn released the near painful grip she'd clamped around his neck and moved her hands to rest lightly against his chest.

 

"We cool?" Blue asked carefully in the silence that followed. Though he didn't wish to, Dennis opened his eyes and looked over at the man who continued to train a weapon on him. Blue seemed to wait until Dennis offered a stiff nod before he relaxed, at which point he again set his guns on the table and bent over to help Victoria up onto the couch.

 

Casey continued to lean against him and he felt her tremble as she rested her forehead against his chest. He wanted to wrap his arms around her to offer comfort but worried it'd upset her, the last thing she probably wanted after an encounter with the Beast was to feel trapped or pinned in place. David stood a couple feet behind her and glared at him, as usual. Unfortunately there were too many valid reasons for the man to be angry just now for Dennis to take offense and he simply hung his head in embarrassment.

 

"You ok?" Casey asked, leaning to the side and looking past him towards Victoria. Turning, he saw the woman wince as she inspected a wrist.

 

"Yes, um, I'll- I'm fine," she mumbled before reaching down to pick up the ice pack and hold it to her wrist. She appeared more distressed by the shattered mug than the attack and Dennis figured it was some sort of strange coping mechanism. Patricia was thoroughly asleep at the moment and he worried how she'd react when she found out what had happened. Casey looked back up at him before wrapping her arms around his waist and giving him a hug.

 

It was then that Cadence and Ms Nagasaki breezed out from the kitchen, whatever conversation they'd been having drying up when confronted with the somber faces of everyone in the living room. "What'd we miss?" Cadence asked, suddenly smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my... author's first posted attempt/hint of "smut"... Hope it does not offend, I unfortunately have found it quite amusing to write so there's more later, though perhaps not in flavors others might enjoy. Speaking of the kaleidoscope of kinky tastes, if you like tense!Dennis/confident!Casey, may I recommend the book [Unbound by Cara McKenna](https://www.amazon.com/Unbound-InterMix-Cara-McKenna-ebook/dp/B009KUXCWE)? Within the fandom, would love to recommend two other stories that have stuck with me for being equally delicious for their own reasons: [Transpirations by MissJewelry373](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12316287/chapters/28000911) and [Lamb by DennisCrumb](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10766559)
> 
> Gotta' say, 'twas one of my favorite chapters to write so far, if only for the confrontation between Casey & Patricia. I always want more Dennis/Patricia being co-conspiring buddies looking out for one-another (and occasionally fighting like siblings)
> 
> Stories are supposed to have a Beginning, Middle, and End. Unfortunately End here is approaching rapidly and I feel like I'm not hitting the breaks hard enough. Have about... 3 different ideas I'm trying to chose from, sadly the better the idea the more (further) writing it requires to support it... this seems like a trap. Whatever. I think next chapter is still called "Let's not talk about it"
> 
> Again, much love to those who comment. Ya'll are the more important than you know. (or perhaps you do know, but still, thanks)


	14. Let’s not talk about it

"It's not that bad," Victoria repeated, glaring at David.

 

"Only because she was here," he argued, but not back to her. He instead spoke to Ms Nagasaki who surveyed the scene. Dennis and Casey still embraced and Blue, having remained seated the entire time, had drunk not only his beer but the two others Victoria had brought out. Victoria opened her mouth and David spun towards her, pointing a finger at her. "Victoria, you're not the only 'Impure' here," he warned her. "I don't care what you're willing to tolerate, but it could just as easily be Joseph next time." He glared around at everyone in the group.

 

"It- I-" Dennis cleared his throat and looked down. Victoria half expected someone else to speak but it was still him when he tried again. "I agree with David, but only in part. It could have gone much worse, if Casey wasn't here. I do agree Joseph is in theory at risk as well but he, ah, doesn't seem to put himself in danger the way Victoria does... or, perhaps, has been." Dennis looked extremely uncomfortable and when he glanced at David it increased as the man gave him a hard look.

 

"Really? I'd question that..." he muttered under his breath, causing Dennis to look a little surprised and then even more uncomfortable, though it seemed hardly possible.

 

"So does the kissing thing work, like, in general?" Cadence asked, waving her hand in a casual way and grinning. "A general purpose fix? And is it, like, partner dependent?" Ms Nagasaki turned to glare at the girl. "What? I'm trying to see if I can be helpful in some future situation." She shot an even eviler grin towards the pair and then winked in an exaggerated fashion at Dennis. No one seemed to appreciate it.

 

"I don't-" David started to complain but Ms Nagasaki cut him off with a sharp gesture.

 

"David. If you're asking if it's your son or the Horde, I'm sorry, I'm keeping the Horde. If you're escalating to it's your son and yourself or the Horde, I'm sorry, I don't make those sort of bargains and you can just see yourselves to the door," she glared at the man and then around the group. "I am striving for stability here, people, but stability amongst those of us who are different. That means coping with some abnormal side effects." She turned back to David. "We all know you're one of the luckier ones. If you want to take your saintly self and precious child and leave us, then do it. Otherwise, please stop overreacting to every incident."

 

Turning dramatically, she pointed towards Dennis and glared. "And don't you make me regret defending your ass." Her gaze flicked briefly to Casey and then back to him before she simply walked away from the group, heading towards her office. Blue set down his empty bottle and stood up with the woman's departure.

 

"Don't fuck everything up," he said encouragingly to Dennis, clasping the man's arm for a moment, before he followed his employer out of the room.

 

* * *

 

Patricia struggled to ignore the Casey reading in the chair on the other side of the room as she carefully held and inspected Victoria's poor wrist. The woman sighed sadly and Patricia bit her lip as she looked up at her. "Is it bad?" she asked, dreading the answer.

 

"What? No," she replied, though she did wince as Patricia carefully flexed the hand in a number of directions, testing her range of movement. "Just cosmetics and pride, as usual." She sighed again, and glanced over to Casey and back. "Mostly pride," she added in a quiet voice.

 

"Pride that the Beast can't keep his hands off you?" Patricia tried to joke, attempting to lighten the woman's mood but Victoria just winced. Perhaps she couldn't quite see the humor in it, having once again had a brush with death at the very hands that now held her. It was now Patricia's turn to sigh and she carefully released her hold on the woman, instead clasping her own hands tightly together. "I'm sorry, my dear. Is there anything I can do?" she asked in contrition and was surprised at the sad look Victoria gave her.

 

The woman glanced again at Casey and then back to her, and Patricia felt a twist in her heart. Had it been Victoria's idea that her visit to the common area be chaperoned? Worry that the woman feared her engulfed Patricia and then was quickly extinguished as Victoria softly murmured with her head bowed, "I hate that Casey is here. It's like the hospital all over again." She looked back again over her shoulder and Patricia struggled to retain her composure, delighted to know she found this suffocating oversight equally ridiculous. That she had faith Patricia wasn't about to accidentally hand her over to the Beast again. That she'd perhaps enjoy more time just to themselves.

 

"Hmmm?" she asked, leaning in and casually bringing her hand down to rest on the woman's knee. Victoria again looked over her shoulder and then back, biting her lip. Patricia idly wondered how far up the woman's leg her hand could get before she was stopped and whether it would be Casey or Victoria who halted it.

 

"I was hoping you could talk to Ms Nagasaki for me," she whispered and Patricia froze. "If, you know, there's time and it's not too much of an inconvenience. I don't want to be a bother..."

 

Feeling a wave of frustration wash over her, Patricia carefully patted the woman on the knee. "What's the problem, darling?" she asked, initially irked the woman seemed oblivious to everything and then increasingly upset with herself for not having checked in on the woman sooner as Victoria explained her situation.

 

* * *

 

Ms Nagasaki smiled thinly and took a sip of tea. "Patricia informed me you could be quite useful," she said and Victoria bobbed her head. Her smile grew more brittle and she peered at the woman over her cup as she took another sip. "She in fact seemed quite upset that I hadn't spoken with you sooner to... assess how you might help us." Again the woman bobbed her head, smiling nervously this time and Ms Nagasaki raised an eyebrow.

 

"I would love to assist more, if I could," she said earnestly, hands clasped in her lap.

 

Pursing her lips, Ms Nagaski reigned in her temper. That the woman was idiotically eager to be useful was obvious and not where the issue lay. That Patricia practically strong armed her into finding something for the woman to do was what galled her.

 

The encounter had come after their latest job briefing, Dennis was nearly out the door before he'd twitched and then Patricia had somehow stepped back, letting everyone exit before she'd quickly closed the door. Ms Nagasaki had been impressed, she'd somehow managed to slip between Blue and herself which was a rare accomplishment indeed. The man, carelessly exiting the room too soon, had found himself on the other side of her impressive office door. There'd been a moment of fear, yes. It would have been foolish not to entertain the thought but in the brief struggle that ensued she quickly caught the real issue at hand and thus held still as Patricia gripped her arm and gave her a shake.

 

"You're an idiot and an ass," she'd hissed as Blue shouted and pounded on the door. "Yes, she's... normal, according to some device as well as our personal standards in that... she's not different. Not Pure. But you'd be bloody fool to let that alone cause you to underestimate her," Patricia had glared at her quite fiercely and given her another shake. "It's cruel to treat her so. Yes, you'll get an excellent cook and maid out of her- she'll help out however she can- but I assure you she'll prove more valuable if you'd just give her a chance."

 

The two had stared at each other for a long moment before Ms Nagasaki calmly assured her she'd talk to the woman. Lifting her chin Patricia had sniffed and unlocked the door, throwing it open and glared at the enraged Blue on the other side. The man had kept his gun trained on her as she'd swept out of the room and presumably back to the kitchen where Victoria has working.

 

Ms Nasakagi reached up to rub an eye. "If you could just help me, Victoria," she sighed. "How is it you think you could be useful? I was given the impression you're... not particularly good with violence." She wouldn't have been resenting this conversation if Patricia had just asked, just requested like a reasonable person to find work to keep her... friend busy. But no, she'd needed to threaten, to make a point. It wasn't just enough that she ask for something. No, she needed to demand that it happen. Ensure that it happen.  There was nothing that encounter in her office had been other than a violent threat of what could happen. Her temple throbbed and she had to remind herself to pay attention to what the woman said. She realized she was going to need to talk to Casey soon if things escalated further.

 

"Well, obviously that depends on what exactly you're trying to do here," Victoria said, tentatively. It looked like she was fidgeting with something in her lap and Ms Nagasaki tried not to frown. Another book no doubt. She hadn't appreciated how the woman had immediately set about pillaging the company's collection as well as the slow reordering that had been sweeping the shelves.

 

"I'm running a security company," she explained, unable to keep the irritation from her voice. "Mr Glass has just taken over all the marketing and finances and is handling it quite nicely so it's not like-"

 

"What about the search for others like you?" she asked, looking concerned. Ms Nagasaki's expression darkened and she set the cup down.

 

"Oh? How exactly do you think you can help with that?" Victoria immediately drew back, eyes widening. Wincing, Ms Nagasaki schooled her expression. "I'm sorry, it's just that when... someone normal talks about finding people 'like us' it... doesn't usually end well."

 

"How does it end when someone like you talks about it?" she asked, sounding quite curious.

 

"It... doesn't," she said, feeling slightly awkward. "Or perhaps, it ends the way it did with Mr Glass. People like us, they for the most part want to keep apart, we're... very unstable." Victoria nodded in agreement and again Ms Nagasaki sharply reigned in her response to that. Clearing her throat, she added. "I'm the first one to really try and make progress, I think, but it's quite hard. We're not easy to find or understand."

 

"Oh, I absolutely agree," Victoria said, nodding again. "I think I'd be quite useful with that." Ms Nagasaki's eyebrows rose dramatically at the suggestion.

 

"What on earth makes you think you'd be helpful with that?" she asked, not expecting such a bold statement. "Mr Glass already has a number of... interesting opinions and I have Candace who I assure you is quite good-"

 

"Yes, we've spoken, and I agree she's most impressive! You know, after talking to her for a while I realized I recognized her username from several Lucene mailing lists!" The woman laughed, and then fidgeted further with what turned out to be a sheet of paper in her lap, folding and unfolding it several times. "Now I'm not saying I agree with Dr Staple's methodologies or half her theories, but I feel like I've at last got my toe in the door. Research and analysis- I’ve a Masters of Library Science, among, um, other things.  And my familiarity with the Renyold's patients has really helped me re-evaluate certain things I see when I scan the news so I think- I mean, not manually, of course. I was talking to Cadence about-" Catching sight of the woman's expression, Victoria abruptly stopped and swallowed thickly. Nodding to herself, she held out the paper. "Sorry. Here's a list of some ideas I had on how I could help with the search for and identification of other individuals with powers."

 

Ms Nagasaki scowled at the neatly scribbled handwriting that covered the folded half page. After a moment she blinked and looked up at the woman. "These aren't bad," she said, sounding surprised. Frowning at the paper, she turned it over and looked up again.

 

"Those are ideas for 'hunt for and eradication of Blacktree and related threats'" Victoria explained," and then 'introductory and ongoing educational programs', 'research into root causes of powers and their full ramifications'," she winced and pointed to the final section, "I did list a couple for 'corporate strategy and market analysis' but it sounded like you weren't interested in those. Mr Glass always 'beats me to the punch' as it were..."

 

* * *

 

Sighing heavily, Cadence slouched at her desk, propping her head up on her chin. Her flopped out arm rested limply next to the keyboard, only a few fingers twitched, tapping out commands one after another. After a moment, she sighed heavily again, having mistimed the woman's entrance.

 

"Cadence?" Ms Nagaskaki asked, her gloved hand rapping against the door frame as she leaned through. "Am I catching you at a bad time?"

 

"Yeah," she sighed dramatically once again, hoping to drive the woman off with the aura of being work weary. "This program, you know, it's proving real difficult, gotta buckle down and tackle it if we're going to exploit the vulnerability in time." She paused a moment and then added another sigh.

 

"Hmmm," the woman said, craning her neck to get a look at Cadence's screen.

 

"Hey!" Cadence cried, immediately minimizing the security feed. "What?"

 

Ms Nagaskaki just looked back to her with an innocent expression. "I was just wondering how it was looking."

 

"I just told you," she snapped, "it's looking bad."

 

"Well then you wouldn't mind having some extra help?" She smiled that way she did right before you'd walked into something you'd regret.

 

"What?"

 

"Victoria talked to me. Mentioned she might be able to help out. Mentioned she'd talked to you about some things already... You've never mention you'd talked with her." Cadence winced. "And then she gave me a list of these ideas of hers. I don't know how long she'd been thinking of them...." Cadence slumped back in her chair and gave the woman an exasperated look.

 

"You're going to give me shit for stealing Victoria's ideas?" She asked, sounding skeptical.

 

"Normally, no. Except your failure to bring her to my attention resulted in Patricia trapping me in my office, alone, and nearly giving Blue a heart attack." The girl sat up straight at that, shocked. "Yes, she was apparently quite unhappy with me for not realizing how brilliant her girlfriend is." Pulling the list from her pocket, she tossed it onto the desk that stood between them. "Which, if she can actually help with half of these, she might be. But that's not the point. I don't want to be dealing with these high-strung, over-powered individuals without knowing all the facts."

 

With a scowl, Cadence picked up the paper and scanned it. "Hey, don't complain to me about how crazy the Horde is, bring it up with Casey. I assure you she is not helping."

 

"Hmmmmm? And what might you know about that?" The older woman asked with a warning note to her voice. Cadence winced again and, realizing she'd been caught, tabbed back to the security feed she'd been watching. An additional "Hmmmmm," was all she got in response to that, and the two watched the couple in the video for a moment.

 

"We told everyone the public spaces are recorded," Cadence mumbled defensively. "It's not my fault they can't remember that."

 

"Not everyone has your memory, Cadence, you know that," Ms Nagaskaki murmured, glancing at the young woman. "And just because you have access to the video doesn't mean you should watch it. We've talked about this." Cadence frowned and kept her eyes glued to the screen. "This...isn't going to become a problem, will it?" The woman asked just like Cadence knew she would.

 

"No," she muttered in a sullen tone of voice and then, catching the woman's look, thrust out her hand. Ms Nagaskaki lightly gripped her fingers for the briefest of moments before sighing and shaking her head.

 

"Not going to lie, I am not thrilled with what I'm seeing here." She said and Cadence balanced, not expecting her to actually raise a complaint, though she wasn't sure if the statement was exclusively about what her power had revealed or what was going on in the video. By now Casey seemed to have worked a hand into Dennis's pants and they had stumbled into the back corner of the weapon's room, at the far edge of the camera's field of view. She wanted to flip on the audio, she liked the way he always sounded towards the end. She noted the timestamp and turned back to her employer, fully intending to circle back later, after she'd finished dealing with this.

 

"I want you to work with Victoria," Ms Nagasaki explained with a firm voice. "Please try to reign it in a bit, let her feel included and useful. Patricia is already going a little crazy losing control of Dennis and the Beast, let's do this much to keep her happy, ok? She is definitely one of the more useful alters so... Please try." Not happy but also understanding where she was coming from, Cadence reluctantly nodded.

 

Ms Nagaskaki flashed her a grateful smile. "Great, I'll let her know you're all over it and thrilled to have the help, and if she has any further... issues, she should take them up with you." Cadence gave the woman a look of horror. "And try to find something better to watch, Cadence. That's not going to end well for you." She added with a significant look to the screen before leaving her in relative peace.

 

* * *

 

Joseph rubbed his thumb over the back of the hand he held. "But... how do I know it'll always you?" he asked, still fighting a faint, lingering uneasy feeling. Barry barked out a laugh and gave his hands a squeeze as he ducked in, forehead pressing against his own.

 

"I one hundred percent promise you that no one would DARE pretend to be me," Barry assured him, grinning as he stared into Joseph's eyes. "Trust me. Not to, you know, get too dark but after what happened..." Joseph swallowed thickly and they both paused for a moment, gripping each other's hands fearfully in the face of the past, "... let's just say that it's an exceptionally sensitive issue. Honey, no one would dare. I promise you, if something like that happened again...." Barry pulled back and shook his head. "Not to get too Kevin, but get a fucking shotgun, ok?" He gave himself a shake and tugged Joseph a step closer, smiling at him. "Wow, way to kill the mood, eh? Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about.... how excellent this shirt looks on you. Don't tell me, did your mother buy that for you?" Joseph shook his head and laughed.

 

"No, wait," Barry continued, "we were talking about why you should totally let me do this-" he leaned in give the man a quick kiss, "and this-", he dropped another on his neck, "and this!" He let go of the hands he clasped and wrapped his arms around Joseph's waist.

 

* * *

 

Cadence watched with slowly widening eyes as the man's screams started to escalate. Blue had warned her that Patricia was effective but she hadn't really believed it for some reason. Well, they were still waiting for a response, so it wasn't like she was super effective. Given the way she moved the blade though, Cadence realize she was probably more of a slow and steady always wins the race sort of effective rather than a quick get it done with questionable odds of success kind.

 

When she stepped back, Cadence had to give herself a brief shake to re-focus on the task at hand. Unsurprisingly the individual was more willing to talk after that and they were able to collect what they needed and move on with no further fuss. Heading back down to the hotel lobby, Cadence stared at Patricia in wonder. "Where the fuck did you learn to do that?" she breathed in awe. Patricia just gave a casual shrug, a small smile curling at her lips. Cadence continued to stare at her and she eventually turned to look at the girl, eyebrow arching.

 

"I'm sure you're aware that we are all unique individuals, yes? Different people..." Patricia faced forward as the elevator came to a stop and swept out gracefully when the doors slid open. Cadence stumbled after her, eyes wide. The two hurried out of the lobby and towards the car idling out front. "Different people, but we're not accidents," she continued as the two climbed into the vehicle, Blue glancing back at them in the rear view mirror before pulling away from the curb. Holding her breath, Cadence stared at Patricia, clearly hanging on her every word.

 

Smirking, Patricia glanced out the window. "We all are who we are because Kevin needed us for something."

 

"What the fuck would Kevin need that for?" Cadence breathed in awe "I thought you guys didn't kill anyone until after the Beast?"

 

Patricia tutted at the girl, eyes half lidded and looking quite pleased with herself. It suddenly occurred to Cadence to wonder if Patricia was sporting a semi at the moment from what she'd just done and she felt her mouth go dry. "Kevin needed confidence. Faith. Certainty. Guidance." Patricia said, staring at the buildings as they rolled by. "And to meet those needs, he got me."

 

Blue snorted from the front seat and Cadence licked her lips. "How do you go from giving guidance to... that."

 

"I have confidence, child." She glanced back at Cadence, her grin fading. "What you saw doesn't require any sort of special physical skill or special knowledge beyond what a couple hours on the Internet can reveal. It just takes... certainty. Absolute certainty that what needs to be done should be done. Confidence." Patricia looked back out the window, a hint of her smirk returning. "And it turns I have that."

 

"Cold blooded," Blue nodded. "I can admire that."

 

"What the fuck did he need Hedwig for?" Cadence asked, nose wrinkling and then she was gasping as Patricia grabbed her shirt collar and twisted it tightly.

 

"Don't you dare speak ill of the child in my presence," she hissed and released the girl just as quickly as she'd grabbed her. Smoothing out her own shirt, Patricia seemed to collect herself and ignored Cadence’s wheezing. "Kevin was a lonely child, school was cruel to him and he needed friends. Hedwig is sociable, outgoing, charming in his own way, and used to be blissfully clueless to the cruel barbs that litter the social circles of children. He was perfect for Kevin." She lifted her chin and stared out the window.

 

Tugging her shirt back into place, Cadence glared at her to cover her embarrassment. "What kind of fucked up guidance were you offering?"

 

Patricia shrugged, "Well, I did warn him about the Beast..."

 

* * *

 

Declining the offered cut of tea, Dennis settled into the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Ms Nagaskaki finished pouring her own and then took a sip, drawing out the silence in a way that Dennis couldn't identify as being particularly malicious or threatening but unsettled him nonetheless. He was prepared for a lecture about his relationship with Casey or a warning about the Beast's behavior or a complaint for what Patricia had done. There were so many ways the conversation could go wrong.

 

"When the Beast introduced himself to us in the kitchen," she began with, "when you first arrived, I distinctly recall him... smelling everyone." She took another sip and smiled at him. "He can identify others like us, yes? Do you know at what distance that works at? He... seemed to need to be quite close, but I was wondering if that was just a sort of personal preference type thing?"

 

There was a pause as Dennis gave the question serious consideration, appreciating that it was easier to answer than any of the others he had braced for. "I... I don't actually know. Hedwig would but- I don't want to ask him right now, he can get a little wound up talking about the Beast. I don't think it works very far, otherwise he would have known David was... nearby... back when we were caught." He shifted uneasily at the reminder of their past. "I'll ask though and let you know what we figure out." The woman nodded at that and took another sip. He waited and she smiled at him as she set her cup back down. The silence stretched out several moments longer but then was interrupted by a soft chuckle on her part.

 

"Forgive me, I'm still getting used to how different you all can be. I was waiting for you to ask why I brought it up but..." Dennis offered nothing more than a shrug at this and she laughed lightly again. "Very well," She paused again and he continued to watch her, careful to keep his expression neutral. "I've a job I'd like to send you on. Much like the one Cadence and Blue went on to retrieve you all. There's good reason to believe an individual with extreme powers is operating around Denver these days."

 

Dennis nodded his head, slowly. "And you would like me to... find them? And... try and convince them to join us slash work for us?" He asked, reusing Cadence's description of her task. The woman nodded.

 

"I'll of course send Blue with you," she waved towards the man who, as always, stood silently against the wall. "Cadence is relieved to not have to go again." Dennis arched an eyebrow at that. "These encounters can go any number of ways. While your experiences with her were... productive, and non-violent, that is not always the case. She's been working with Blue since she joined but lacks the... innate talent some of you and others possess."

 

"Casey..." Dannis started to say before leaving the statement hanging. In part he wanted her to acknowledge the girl as being equally talented but he also wanted to know if she too could join them. Casey was much better at talking to people than he or many of the others in the group were, in his opinion. He also knew from conversations with the girl, many of them taking place as they'd sprawled out on his bed together after having their fun, that she wanted to get out more. While no one in the group had much interest in travel, Casey seemed happy to have left Philadelphia behind and spoke often of wanting to travel the world. It was one of the tiny fears that plagued him in the corners of their time together. She was clearly young and while she for some reason found his company enjoyable for now, he knew she had her life ahead of her and worried about when she'd eventually decide to move on and leave them. Leave him. He figured the more he could do now to keep her happy and content, the longer she'd stay with them. With him.

 

"Casey..." Ms Nagaskaki repeated in a similarly open ended tone. "Yes, I was hoping to talk to you about her..." Dennis again braced himself. "I understand the two of you have been enjoying each other's company." He inclined his head, grateful for the generous phrasing of the situation. "I've no complaint with who and how you or anyone here spends their time. I would just ask however that..." Dennis held his breath, relieved beyond belief to have her blessing, in some way, but unable to guess what her complaint might be. "...you perhaps confine your... affections, or at least excessive demonstrations of them, to the privacy of your rooms." Dennis blinked, leaning back slightly as a slow flush began to creep up his neck. "I ask only on behalf of Cadence," she clarified which in no way made him feel better. "She... has a problem with respecting others privacy and has seemed to fixate on you, unfortunately." Uncrossing his arms, Dennis rubbed his hands together, worried by this news. "I understand you all have done nothing to encourage this, and I appreciate that."

 

"Thank you," he mumbled, and hoped it was true. They'd returned to their old ways, the way it'd before everything had happened, and for the most part stayed away from the Light while someone else claimed it, unless explicitly invited. There were of course still exceptions, but Dennis realized any number of the alters could have been routinely conversing with Cadence and he'd not know it.

 

There was a pause as the woman took another sip and then placed the cup back on the desk very precisely. She drew a breath and seemed to brace herself as she spoke again. "What I don't appreciate, however, is some of Patricia's recent behaviors." Dennis froze at that, a flash of anger and fear momentarily battling within him. He never knew if Patricia actually shared everything she did with him but from his perspective he wished people would stop overreacting all the time. While, yes, she could be unreasonable occasionally, he knew her heart was in the right place.

 

"I assure you, she doesn't mean Victoria any-" he started to explain but stopped when the woman waved her hand dismissively.

 

"I don't care about her, the Beast could consume her and be done with it for all it concerns me. What concerns me is how my 'discussion' with her last week went."

 

Dennis frowned, unable to actually defend Patricia but knowing that he should. "She mentioned wanting to talk to you..."

 

"Oh, she did. And she locked Blue out of the office for the conversation. Now I know I've not explicitly forbidden such behavior but I think it's quite obvious that such actions are... not appreciated." Neither the woman nor Dennis looked towards Blue as she spoke, but Dennis certainly was of the man looming off to the side. "And easily perceived as a threat. Just like trying to strangle Cadence during the drive back from the last job falls under the category of threatening behavior. Yes, the girl didn't officially complain but I don't like it. You all are welcome to do whatever you like with your small collection of 'normals', but with regards to myself and the others there is a higher bar of expected behavior."

 

Dennis stared at the table's surface, frowning. He couldn't tell if the woman didn't know Patricia was listening or simply didn't care, either way he felt frustrated on her behalf. While the woman wasn't exactly wrong, he felt she was judging Patricia far too harshly. Briefly he wondered if Patricia would take the opportunity to say something, he certainly gave her the room to do so, but she remained silent.

 

"Now, returning to the subject of Casey..." the woman continued with after a pause "I think it might be helpful if you were to bring her along with you two. Actually, I think it quite wise given she appears best suited to dealing with any... issues that might arise. Blue will be officially in charge but..." She glanced over at the man, "he can be quite reluctant to lead so I'm looking to you to 'take point' on this, as it were. I hope you're not offended?"

 

Blue snorted and gave a casual shrug, "You know me. The less responsibilities the better."

 

* * *

 

The team didn't depart on their trip as planned, the BFP decreasing too rapidly for them to pinpoint a location, whatever that meant. David couldn't help but be disappointed with the news. The prospect of the Horde being out on business travel right about now had been a welcome one. Instead, things got worse, the city's weather turning disgusting right around then and driving them all indoors to escape the summer heat and humidity. It wasn't as bad as back home but trying to keep a low profile meant there were fewer places to escape to.

 

David let Elijah talk him into learning Go and the two wound up playing quite a number of games together. Obviously he wasn't any good at it, but at least, unlike with chess, it wasn't obvious he was losing the whole time. Elijah seemed to delight in laying down such a random array of pieces that somehow came together midway into the game and just completely wiped him off the board. Every time. Cadence would always be nearby to helpfully point out it wasn't normal to have all your pieces captured in one move so early in the game. Either she or Elijah would try to explain something about eyes but he never really listened. His eyes were always scanning the room, on high alert for what else was going on.

 

He told himself it was totally normal that he was concerned. He wasn't being an oppressive father, any sane person would be concerned when presented with a similar situation. He wasn't close minded, in the past he'd certainly tried to be supportive of several of Joseph's relationships. That he could clearly see Joseph and Barry growing closer distressed him. He worried what his son would say though if he raised the issue with him. It'd been made quite clear to him, by a number of people, that he needed to 'be less uptight'. It seemed to him that 'uptight' might just be another word for 'sensible' with these people and he wasn't certain how he felt about that.

 

* * *

 

"Go away, Victoria," Cadence called out from under the desk when Casey rapped on her door frame. "I'm off the clock. No more ideas, or suggestions, or helpful comments please. Please, just... go away."

 

Casey frowned and leaned into the room though she didn't need to do so in order to spot the young woman's leg where it stuck out from under her desk. "What- what are you doing?" Casey asked, trying to keep the sudden concern she felt out of her voice. "Are you ok, Cadence?"

 

"No," came her brief reply. Neither of them moved in response to that and eventually Cadence sighed. "None of us are 'ok', yeah? I'm just... relaxing."

 

"Under your desk?" Casey asked, stepping into the room. The way the she was sprawled out it didn't look like she'd fallen but Casey could not figure out what she was doing. Her hands lay as limp on the ground as the rest of her and there didn't seem to be anything particularly noteworthy under that portion of desk, just some basic cabling that ran over towards the wall. "Should I... should I get someone?" she asked.

 

"God, no," Cadence sighed. There was another pause and she eventually asked, "what the fuck you doing here?"

 

Clearing her throat, she looked around the girl's room. It was more decorated than any of the Philadelphia group's but it suggested very little about her other than a tolerance for year round Christmas lights and a fondness for technology. "I... ah... Jade said you got her an insulin prescription," She bit her lip. "I was...um..."

 

Now Cadence did move, bringing her hands up to scrub her face as she let out a bitter laugh. "You trying to get hooked up with something? Coke? You seem like you might be a coke kind of girl."

 

Casey blinked in surprise at that. "What? No no, I just wanted- wait... are you... are you high right now?" She asked in mild disgust, looking around now for some evidence of drug use. Cadence snorted.

 

"I would say that I am 'fucked up' right now. If you want to get high, chase down Mary, I gave her all the pot I had. I've some MDMA though, if you want that. Ever fucked on ecstasy before? Fucking awesome, would recommend. You could probably use some now... I could go get it," she muttered, without moving very much at all. Casey crouched down next to the desk and gave the girl a worried look.

 

"Whats wrong with you?" She asked, a crease appearing between her brows as she studied the girl. While Cadence was normally somewhat of a bitch, Casey could tell something was off.

 

"Nothing, I'm just... you know... relaxing. I like to imagine this is what it's like to forget things. Just sort of, you know, pretending to be a normie for a bit. Don't tell anyone." Casey frowned further but before she could again voice her offer to get help the girl added, "Ms Nagaskaki knows what I'm doing. So don't think you can, like, get me in trouble or something. I'm off the clock." Casey bit her lip and after a moment Cadence repeated her question.

 

"I... I was hoping you could get me a prescription for, um, birth control and have it shipped here... I wasn't going to get you in trouble, you're just kind of freaking me out."

 

The young woman under the table just snorted. "Well brace yourself than if you're ever around Blue or Ms Nagaskaki when they get drunk." Her arms flopped back down onto the floor and she rolled her head to stare at Casey.

 

"Birth control? Fuck. It's like you're asking me to sign your fucking permission slip," her head rolled back to stare up at the desk. "You really know how to rub it in, you know?"

 

Casey opened her mouth and then closed it, uneasy with what she'd implied. Unfortunately Cadence took the opening to continue and say more. "I get it. He's yours. Congrats-u-fucking-lations." She reached up again to rub at her eyes. "Fuck, if Ms Nagaskaki ever gives you advice, I recommend you take it."

 

Growing increasingly uncomfortable with what she was hearing, Casey glanced over her shoulder. She wished Blue or someone would walk on by and save her from this. "If this is about Dennis-" she started to say in a wary tone.

 

"If course it has to do with Dennis! Ugh," Cadence seemed to dramatically flop on the ground though she was already laying there. "You know, Patricia told me they were all, you know, 'created' for a purpose... Said hers was, like, certainty or something. What do you think Dennis's was?" Biting her lip, Casey felt herself suddenly quite curious as well about the question but didn't want to encourage the young woman.

 

After a moment Cadence sighed heavily and continued, "You don't have to worry. I know it's no good, that man is obsessed with you." Cadence again thrashed a bit and seemed to kick her heels on the floor. "Why won't anyone be obsessed with me?" she cried out in a pout. "You and Dennis, Blue and Ms Nagaskaki, Philip and Claudia, even, like, Victoria and Patricia. Everyone has someone soooooo interested in them, why won't anyone obsess about me?" Casey leaned back sharply at this, feeling her sympathy suddenly twist into unease. Hearing the girl rant was a good reminder that everyone at the company was more than a little disturbed.

 

"You're... laying on the floor 'fucked up' because no one loves you?" She asked, wanting to make sure she understood.

 

"Not love. Obsession. I want, you know, the whole thing. All in. 110% unhealthy commitment... but, no, I'm laying on the floor because I can't get out of my head the stupid security footage Ms Nagaskaki told me not to watch. Looking at cabling sometimes, you know, makes me feel good. Calms me down." She lifted her head and squinted at Casey. "I'm kinda surprised, you know, that you're asking for pills now. Would have totally thought you guys were already fucking. You sure you don't want the MDMA?"

 

* * *

 

The vanity dresser they sat in front of was impressive. The three panel mirror spanned the entire width and when they were in front of it, it felt almost magical. Patricia would never have come up with that particular word to describe it, but Felicia had at one point and they'd all agreed. Several had initially protested both the cost and the awkward fact they'd needed to ask both David and Blue to help Kat retrieve it and wrestle it into their room. Now that it dominated one of the walls though they all agreed it was one of their most beloved collective possession they'd ever owned.

 

Patricia had never bought into the value of the video diaries Barry had suggested they all record. In general she'd found most the self help advice he collected from books or his various therapists to be worthless. What helped were these sessions where they sat down and discussed things, together. For everyone to actually voice their thoughts and concerns 'face to face' as it were with other members of the group without some sort of passive aggressive delayed or round about communication confusing things.

 

These moments when they sat together and talked were normally so productive. It was unfortunately today's session was not. What had started as a casual check in had quickly fallen apart as the discussion of their collective love lives was raised. There'd been various complaints, Ansel and Rakel objecting to the very idea of external relationships though no one paid them much attention. Bernice bemoaned the strain their various requests were putting on the schedule and she reminded everyone that there were only so many hours in an evening. Patricia had sternly reminded them all, on Dennis's behalf, once again about respecting the privacy of whoever's time it was in the Light and without naming names had suggested that bribes to bypass such requests were considered rude. Orwell had tried to suggest that not all the attention they were bestowing on various individuals was appreciated but Patricia had shut that down rather quickly. Luke had tried to float the idea of hiring prostitutes for those who were not fortunate enough to have found someone yet, a filthy habit apparently practiced by Blue, but thankfully the rest of the group vetoed that quite aggressively.

 

The discussion had drawn on and spilled out past its allotted time, eating away at Patricia's time in the Light. Slowly and with effort she'd been able to guide it towards the nearest thing resembling a conclusion they'd be able to reach that morning. Now she sat with just Barry and Dennis, appreciating their company but at the same time wishing to start her day. The women would be waking up soon and she did so enjoy Victoria's breakfasts.

 

"I'm just... really worried," Barry said for the fifth time. "It's not like I feel him near by when we're together but, I mean, I can never tell when he's around anyway..." Patricia nodded sympathetically and pointed out once again that she'd no idea the Beast had been one of the lurkers when she'd nodded off earlier that month. "I just don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him," Barry bemoaned and her hand twitched as if he'd gesture with it but she tamped it down, hoping he'd get the hint that he was no longer welcome so near to the Light.

 

Though Dennis remained close by, he was notably silent. In her heart she felt the faintest hint of resentment that he had no such worries about his love interest but she'd never voice it aloud. The poor man had had such a trying life up till now, she couldn't hold it against him that for once he had it easier than the rest of them.

 

"Why couldn't he have more... you know, open mind about... our 'mates'", Barry muttered, flushing slightly.

 

"If only we had red foxes at the zoo," Patricia sighed. "Perhaps he'd have picked up a bit more of a taste for polygynandry or homosexuality." Sometimes she was disappointed in the way the amalgam of animal aspects had arranged themselves to form the Beast. For example, she found the idea of eating someone one had fucked as entirely rude and unreasonable but she couldn't help but agree with Barry that it was likely a poor deterrent for the Beast.

 

Unfortunately it was then that Dennis joined the conversation, cautioning them both about the dangers of getting too close to their particular Impure of choice. Joseph and Barry were still at the relatively early stages of their relationship, testing the waters as it were, and Dennis highlighted how David would surely murder them if anything happened to his son. Patricia was then horrified to have a lecturing directed at her as Dennis pointed out that while Ms Nagasaki might not care what happened to Victoria, Casey and the rest of their smaller group would never forgive them. Barry raged for a moment, suggesting he could be with whoever he wanted and that it was only Victoria who seemed to inspire repeated out bursts from the Beast. Joseph apparently had expressed a willingness to take on the risk. He seemed to be working himself up into a defiant claim that he'd fuck Joseph just to spite Dennis when Patricia asserted herself control of the Light by cutting him off.

 

Licking her lips, she closed her eyes and let a wave of frustrated anger wash over her. It wasn't fair. Victoria was clearly hers and she wanted her. She'd waited so long, carefully coaxing the woman to a point she was certain she'd be open to the idea and now to be questioned by the others and thwarted by the Beast's constant outbursts... It felt almost like betrayal. The Beast was supposed to help them, help her... not... cockblock her, to use one of Luke's favorite phrases.

 

"I've had quite enough lecturing for one day," Patricia said in a calm and controlled tone of voice. "Barry, does Joseph know you let Polly and Felicia watch while you two are together?" There was a stumble here as Barry gasped in horror but Patricia exerted her control of the Light more firmly and continued. "He might be willing to take on the risk of the Beast but I don't want to hear about him getting upset about... other things. I agree his father is a threat to us and you need to tread carefully. And Dennis, I don't want to hear another word of disapproval from you. How dare you say any such thing to me after all I've done for you- how I've supported you in the face of everything- everyone."

 

Pulling open one of the drawers at the vanity, she selected the lovely yellow silk scarf Victoria had picked up for her when they'd first arrived at the city. Wrapping it lightly about her neck she stared back into the mirror and glared. "I will hear no more of any pathetic nagging. You two both conveniently have your own little something, I refuse to let you deny me what is mine."

 

The silence that stretched out gave her the confidence that she'd successfully cowed them till Barry whispered nervously, "I don't think that's how it works, Patricia."

 

* * *

 

"Someone's knocking," Dennis gasped later that day as Casey finally moved on to dropping kisses down his jaw, headed towards his neck. He panted for a moment and then groaned again as Casey raked her nails down his chest. She'd taken to pulling his shirts off though she still wore most of hers and it drove him mad. His ached to run his hands over her skin but instead gripped the sheets on the bed below him. "Someone-" he tried to say again and she just pressed a kiss to his lips, silencing him.

 

"It's just Victoria," she whispered, moving back to his neck. "Just be quite and she'll go away." Of course, she then thought it was an appropriate idea to at that moment reach down and grab him which made keeping quiet difficult.

 

* * *

 

It was hard to ignore a continuous glare when you had unnatural Sight. The fact that Casey didn't look at Victoria seemed in no way to discourage the woman from staring daggers at her nonstop since she'd returned to the room. She realized, perhaps a little guiltily, she should have probably hunted Victoria down after she and Dennis had finished spending the time they'd allowed themselves together. They'd made their way down to the workout room afterwards and hadn't seen her, though it'd been much later in the afternoon than she'd intended.

 

Today had been especially hard to respect their time limit, Dennis having by this point perfected his kissing technique to the point it left her defenseless and breathless. Also, she'd only gotten him off twice before, which included the first time against the bus stop, so the novelty factor was still quite high and quite distracting. The excited sounds he made as she tormented him were just so exhilarating and she had let him grope her as she jerked him off this time. 'Let' was perhaps a generous way to phrase it. She'd actually grabbed his hand and held it in place against a breast as she had ground against him. She'd briefly worried about triggering some sort of stressful flashback, every aspect of Dr. Fletcher's reports having filled the news at one point or another, including lurid details about some incident with teenage girls at the zoo. The feel of his grip, seemingly quite eager, had overridden her concerns at the time however.

 

Biting her lip, Casey realized she should probably talk to him about that. Next time she looked forward to maybe having him actually touch her, skin to skin. She got a little lost, contemplating the thought and surrounding possibilities when there was a muffled sound from the far the side of the room. Looking up, she caught Victoria's glare head on and winced. There was another sound and Casey's gaze jumped passed the woman to the wall behind her. Victoria also slowly turned to look at the wall that stood a couple feet from where her bed was. There was a thump, than another, followed by a stretch of silence and then a slow steady rhythm.

 

"Oh my god," Casey breathed, hit with several waves of horror at once.

 

"Yes, Casey," Victoria bit out, turning back to glare at her. "Did you know that these walls are very poor insulators for sound? Or at least, they're excellent conductors of percussive sounds. Rhythmic thumping sounds, you know?" Casey stared at her, feeling her face flood with heat. "Interesting fact, only found out about it earlier today. Was hoping to share this information but, hmmm, couldn't find you."

 

Casey buried her face in her hands while Victoria flopped onto the bed and held a pillow over her head. "If you'd let me share this information," she continued to complain from under the pillow, "They would have been made aware of the issue and we wouldn't be in this situation. As it is, everything is worse now." There was a pause and she lifted her head, the pillow tumbling off. "It... it is Joseph, right? Not Cadence?"

 

The very question caused Casey to groan and fall back onto her bed, gripped with a sort of horror. She intentionally reigned in her Sight tightly, not that she normally could just casually skip through walls. Doing so took concentrated effort and she wasn't going to do that right now, she assured herself. "It has to be Joseph," she breathed, "Who would possibly fuck Cadence?" she asked in terror. A moment passed and they both simultaneously said "Luke."

 

Casey sat up again and then so did Victoria, who gripped her pillow to her chest tightly. The thumping hadn't stopped. "It... might be Luke. Sounds athletic," Victoria mumbled, "Good constitution. Oh god, I don't think I could handle it if it's Luke." Casey shot the woman a slightly confused look and then shook her head.

 

"I am not spying on them," she stated and Victoria turned to her with wide eyes.

 

"I wasn't suggesting you should," she breathed. There was a pause. "I mean..." Casey groaned and dragged her hands over her face, frustrated that she absolutely did not want to know but felt a definite grip of fear at the unknown. "I mean, you could always ask Dennis later...?" The implication in the suggestion drew another groan out of Casey and she glared back at Victoria.

 

"I'm not going to spy," she repeated. "And I doubt Dennis will know. They can keep each other away from the Light if they... try. Oh god, if it is Luke I bet they all know." Both women shuttered at the thought.

 

There rhythm shifted and they could only very faintly hear what sounded like a very loud moan, proving the wall was good for blocking at least some sounds. Victoria went back to hiding under her pillow and Casey stared at the wall, struggling with her desire to both know and to not know. Respecting their privacy was a distant concern at the moment, her feelings towards the group still quite cool since the 'misunderstanding'.

 

Casey continued to sit staring at the wall for a long time. The sounds eventually stopped, petering out with a rhythm and stutter she tried not to pay any attention to. With a sigh she laid back down in bed. Reaching over, she flicked the light off, not wanting to encourage any further conversation for the evening. It was only a couple minutes later when it started up again and Casey swore under her breath.

 

"Exactly," muttered Victoria in the darkness.

 

There was a long stretch of silence on their part, the rhythm this time fluctuating a bit here and there in ways that could catch one's attention and prevented it from just blending into the background. "It's Joseph," Casey eventually said and not another word was spoken in the room for the rest of the night.

 

* * *

 

"Patricia, I've a favor to ask," With the liquid courage of her glass half consumed Victoria felt herself able to finally bring up the issue. Patricia took another sip from her wine glass before placing it on the desk. With her usual sway to the hips, she sauntered right up to Victoria who swallowed nervously and took a hasty gulp of her beer.

 

"Really?"

 

Ducking her head, Victoria averted her gaze and almost regretted saying anything. "I- I- was just wondering if maybe you could m-m-move," she stuttered to a halt, took a deep breath, and tried again. "Despite being made of concrete, the walls here are actually quite good at conducting some frequencies. I was wondering if maybe you could- " again she stumbled to a halt. Finding herself unable to put it to words, she resorted to simply pointing at the bed and blushing.

 

Patricia's laughter wasn't cruel but it still hurt Victoria's feelings. "Oh my... I hope," she was flushed but Victoria suspected it was from the wine more than embarrassment, "I hope they haven't been keeping you up at night?" Patricia licked her lips. "Was that the favor you wanted to ask?" she asked in a breathy voice.

 

Blinking in surprise, Victoria watched as a hand lightly came to rest on her arm as Patricia stepped in close to her. "Yes," she gulped and took a step back. "I- I hope that doesn't offend you. Or, anyone. It was only one night... and day... but I assume, that, ah, it might be a good idea to address the issue now."

 

With a sigh, Patricia turned towards the bed and approached it, examining it with a critical eye. "Darling, no one is going to be offended you don't want to hear the two of them fucking. I assure you, you're not the only one." Victoria stared at her with wide eyes. "Here, I think we can move it ourselves right now. Just lift that end, my dear, and we'll shuffle it over there." Though she continued to stare at her, Victoria managed to help enough for them to move the offending piece of furniture across the space to the far corner, safely away from all the walls.

 

"That sounds- I mean- Don't you-" Victoria stuttered as she stepped away from the bed. The two of them moved back towards the desk where their drinks rested.

 

"Don't be ridiculous," Patricia murmured, again reaching out to place a hand on Victoria's arm. This time it stayed there as Victoria managed to overcome her nerves. "I've no interest in the man and frankly try to stay away when the two of them... hang out. Though the same can't be said for everyone." She rolled her eyes but then looked back to Victoria and gave the woman's arm a gentle squeeze. "But it's really none of my business. We're all allowed some portion of freedom in our lives. We may share this," here Patricia ran her fingers lightly down her own chest, "but we all have our different wants.. desires..." She brought the hand up to rest on Victoria's other arm. "But you understand that so well, don't you, Victoria?" With a smile, she leaned forward. "You understand us so well..."

 

It took a moment to figure out what was going on, but Victoria managed to take a step back before Patricia's lips could meet her own. The distance was quickly closed by Patricia taking another step forward, following. Stalking.

 

"I- I- um," Victoria quickly looked away, unable to cope with the flush that consumed her and unwilling to look at the cause. "I think I should go," she whispered. The hands on her arms tightened.

 

"No, I think it'd be best if you stayed right here." Thumbs moved, gently stroking her upper arms, one of them grazing the side of a breast. "You're acting quite surprised but I think we're in perfect understanding." Again she lowered her head.

 

"Patricia, stop." Victoria breathed, stopping her short of a kiss.

 

"No. Scream for help. If you cry out, I'll let you go, but not based on such a silly request." Her hands moved lower to wrap around the woman's waist. "We both know you want this."

 

"Patricia, you can't do this. This isn't-" her words were cut off as she was dragged up against her and a kiss firmly pressed upon her lips. Muffled words quickly transitioned into a moan as they stood locked like that for a while. At first shock held Victoria in place but at some point she couldn't hold onto that as an excuse. Eventually hands tentatively came to rest on the arms wrapped around her and then began to push. She pulled back, gasping for breath. Patricia watched her from under heavily lidded eyes.

 

"This isn't right," Victoria managed to say, backing up once she’d struggled free. Patricia followed, staying close and backed her against the wall before she could reach the door. Finding herself with nowhere left to go, the woman could only tremble as Patricia stepped close again. Victoria inhaled sharply when she raised a hand. Pausing, Patricia smiled gently, and continued to reach towards her face.

 

"Doesn't it tempt you just a little bit? Looking at me, don't you see your Orwell?" She curled a long strand of the woman's hair around her fingers, drawing her closer. "Couldn't you, perhaps... just imagine it was him for a moment? Just a moment, my dear, it's all I ask."

 

"It's not-" Victoria stammered, eyes flicking over Patricia's face. "I see only you."

 

Patricia stilled but then swooped down to press a passionate kiss to the woman's lips. "Oh darling," she whispered against them, pressing closer. "That's exactly why I can't seem to leave you alone. No one else looks at us the way you do..."

 

Victoria was overwhelmed, standing there for a moment in shock as hands began to slide up her sides. It wasn't Orwell kissing her, she knew that. There was no doubt... But her thoughts stuttered with the overwhelming sensation of his body so close to hers. Patricia rolled her hips against the woman and Victoria gasped. With a chuckle, Patricia exploited the situation and slipped her tongue between the woman's teeth, deepening the kiss.

 

She wasn't sure how long she let herself be carried away with it all, but voices down the hall recalled her to her senses. The two of them wandered upstairs after the communal meal and it sounded like others were now finished and returning to their rooms. With a struggle, she worked her hands between them and pressed firmly against Patricia's muscular chest.

 

"No," she whispered breathlessly when she had room to speak. "No, this isn't right, this isn't safe. I can't-"

 

Patricia leaned in again, this time nibbling on her neck and it was Victoria who couldn't help but roll her hips against the body pressed to hers.

 

"Oh," she gasped, before following it with a repeated "No" and more pressure. Patricia seemed to have no interest in moving, instead she trailed light kisses and nips up the woman's neck and jaw. She'd just moved her hands to grip Victoria's wrists, moving them gently but firmly to the side when she stilled.

 

A deep breath was drawn and Victoria could feel a different type of tension race through his body.

 

"I apologies," Dennis said, pulling his head back. "She shouldn't be behaving this way." He took a slow and deliberate step back, releasing her wrists. He looked around and quickly moved to stand behind of the chair at the desk.

 

Victoria continued to pant and somehow managed to flush further as she stared at him. Realizing he'd moved to hide his arousal more so than any effort to put her at ease frustrated her. Averting her gaze, she scanned the room and quickly retrieved her glass.

 

"Th- thank you," she stammered and began to ease her way to the door.

 

Dennis gripped the back of the chair, head lowered. "We'll talk to her," he offered and Victoria nodded without thinking.

 

"Great," she babbled. "Thank you. You talk to her and let's just- let's just pretend this never happened." A parting glance to the wine glass showed it to be half empty. "I- I- completely understand. I mean, who hasn't made a mistake or two while drunk." She laughed nervously, hand on the door. "I completely understand. Wine. Beer. Makes anyone do silly things." And with that she darted out of the room.

 

* * *

 

Dennis stood there long after the woman had left, breathing heavily. He was angry at Patricia for putting him in such a situation. At the back of his mind he could sense she wanted to talk but he wasn't feeling generous. With a clenched jaw and a shake of the head, he banished her further from the Light.

 

The mixture of wine and Victoria lingered on his lips and he stormed angrily to the bathroom. Rinsing his mouth out twice, he stared at his reflection. How dare she force him into this mess. Their body was still wound up tight and will alone solved nothing. A treacherous thought suggested seeking Casey out but he quickly squashed it, not wanting to introduce any confusion between the two women. Stripping off her cloths, unable to not place sweater and skirt neatly folded atop the counter, he took a long, bracingly cold shower...

 

Standing under the chilling spray, he felt himself calm. "You shouldn't have done that," he eventually said in an angry voice.

 

"She could have been convinced," he allowed Patricia to murmur. "I just needed more time. I know she'd be agreeable with enough... persuasion."

 

Dennis cranked what little warm water there was off and the shower became punishingly cold.  Standing there, he clenched his fists. "And if she wasn't? If she told Casey and the others what you'd done? If the Beast emerged once again and it was just the two of you in that room? You've no right to risk everything for that. We agreed. We were all going to work together. Don't sabotage what we have achieved for... that." He spoke with a scornful voice.

 

There was no response as he stood there for a while longer under the freezing spray. Patricia seemed to have have stepped away from the Light, hopefully in shame.

 

He did another thorough scrubbing with soap along with a coiling feeling of self loathing before stepping out of the shower.

 

Toweling off, he began to wipe the stall down before getting dressed. Different scenarios of how that could have gone wrong flashed through his mind. What if she'd cried out loudly for help? No one on their floor would have been forgiving of the situation. What if she'd cried out for help and no one heard? And if Hedwig had take the Light? He expected more from Patricia when it came to keeping the child safe. She'd been so focused on the woman that she hadn't even noticed him move in to stop her. With that careless attitude it could have been anyone. Casey's repeated warnings to him to look for watchers had made him quite aware of the poor behavior some of the others demonstrated when it came to... private matters.

 

He paused, uneasy to reflect on the fact he'd essentially done just that. He hadn't meant to spy on her, however. It'd been completely unintentional but once he'd heard Victoria's cry of 'no' he realized Patricia needed his help before she got them all in trouble. Everything was perfect right now, not just with Casey, the last thing they needed was to jeopardize their standing with the others.

 

Tucking the cleaning products back under the cupboard where they belonged, he stormed into the main room and over to their clothing rack. Several of Jade's blouses were piled carelessly on the floor below it and he seethed with frustration. Was he the only by one here even trying to live like a civilized individual? He hung up the offending items and straightened several other hangers before finally selecting his usual black slacks and button up.

 

* * *

 

The woman's animated discussions of her latest readings faltered when the Horde entered the room but she quickly recovered and continued on, smile now held a bit more intentionally in place. Elijah chose not to comment, not wanting to derail her from what was actually a useful deluge of information, but did eventually glance over to see who it was just in time to spot what looked to be Hedwig wandering into the kitchen.

 

"Really, Mr. Glass," Victoria eventually said with that encouraging tone he'd heard so often from his physical therapists over the years. "It's not that hard. I really think you should give it a try. I'm certain your understanding of the concepts far exceeds my own by now, this all would go so much fast and smoother if you would just... write it yourself." Elijah frowned and steepled his fingers. She sighed and opened her mouth to no doubt argue further when she was distracted by the Horde's return. "Hedwig, what are you doing with those sandwiches? You know you're not supposed to snack that much."

 

Turning, Elijah spotted the man juggling a plate as well as a giant bag of chips under one arm and several cans of soda under the other. He appeared sheepish and ducked his head. Elijah pursed his lips, irritated with the interruption. Children, you could always count on them to ruin a good discussion.

 

"I'm taking care of Jeff," he proclaimed loudly. "Polly showed me how to make the sandwiches he likes. We're going to watch a movie." There was a defiant lift of his chin at this and Victoria muttered under her breath. She glanced back towards Elijah and then to the Horde and Elijah could feel his opportunity to learn more about neural nets slipping away.

 

"Hedwig," he called in a stern voice, the same one he'd use on children that had been mistakenly brought to his gallery back before everything. "It's very grown up of you to do so. I'm sure we can both trust you to be responsible. I'll be sure to tell Patricia and Polly what a dedicated and good friend you are." He added a menacing stare to this though he questioned if the implied threat was even picked up on. Hedwig seemed to nod to himself at this before flashing them both a smile and continuing towards the stairs. “I’m sure Joseph will check in on him soon,” Elijah added, in a quieter voice.

 

Victoria looked mildly displeased when she turned back to him. "I can't believe she just... lets the child run wild," she said and it took him a moment to realize she referred to Jeff. "I offered to tutor him but she told me my time could be better spent elsewhere..." giving herself a shake she seemed to remember that that was exactly what they had been doing. "But if you would just be willing to learn how to write the scripts yourself, I'd have some extra time to devote to him. It's-"

 

"No," he said quite firmly. "And no, I don't want Joseph writing them either. He's far too sloppy, I need to be confident they're implemented correctly." She started to protest but he spoke over her. "And I don't have the time to learn yet another language. You're being very helpful, Victoria," he added, knowing how to bypass any number of her arguments. "With your help we've already increased to accuracy of the monitoring and are gaining such new insights. And given what we were talking about earlier, I imagine we can apply some of that to the business as well."

 

As expected, she became quite subdued with the praise, offering only a final murmured comment that he was quite brilliant and could no doubt implement in ideas faster if he'd just learn python. Silently Elijah agreed with her but that wasn't the point. His powers lay with big ideas and grand thoughts. The nitty gritty details of actual implementations weren't beyond him, they were simply not worth his time.

 

* * *

 

Casey had wanted to go out to eat but understood why they couldn't. It didn't mean she liked it, or agreed with it even, but she understood and therefor had done what she could. It was Dennis's turn in the Light during the evening meal, a somewhat rare occurrence apparently, and she was going to make the most of it.  She'd been unhappy the few times so far when she'd tried to feed him a bite of one meal or another and he'd staunchly refused. Luke apparently kept them on a harsh not-snack diet and Bernice was quite strict with the meal time allocations. Not all of the alters respected the rules but of course Dennis did.

 

Just because they couldn't sit in a restaurant together, the risk of being recognized far too high given that much time, didn't meant she couldn't go out for pick up. As Casey lifted the pizza box lid, the distinctive aroma of a Chicago style deep dish flooded the room. It was so impressive Dennis leaned back a bit, his skepticism increasing. Not finding his reaction encouraging, she realized it might take a little extra to get him to give it a fair try. "You always like to blend in, you said," Casey offered as encouragement, scooping out a hefty wedge onto his plate. "There's no way you could pass for someone local if you couldn't, at the drop of a hat, go off on a rant about the virtues of deep dish pizza. I've been walking around this city more than you, trust me." She shook her head, serving herself an equally generous portion. "We're doing this for our own good. It's like research." She glanced over at him and smiled. "Victoria would be proud of us. Eat up and learn."

 

"It's unnatural," he muttered, picking up his fork and knife looking unhappily at them. "Pizza should be... flatter."

 

"Don't be so judgemental. Sometimes the unnatural can be a good thing," She smiled and gave him a wink, taking another bite. Dennis ducked his head, but he was unable to hide his small grin from her. He did seem to give the pizza an honest go and she unfortunately believed him when he eventually declared it to be 'not his thing'.

 

They sat together at the desk turned table for a while after the meal, carefully walking the razor thin line between an awkward silence and a comfortable one. They both were just over the line into the comfortable zone, at least she thought they were. Dwelling on it too much edged it towards the awkward side. Casey's gaze jumped to the bed and back and she immediately regretted it because he surely would have noticed. She didn't want him to think she only thought of sex when around him, it was just that the whole being fun aspect of it was so new and frankly quite liberating. And it wasn't like they were having sex, technically... there just had been a large number of very intense makeout sessions that consumed large portions of both their time. Given the more even distribution of time amongst the group these days, her opportunities to be with Dennis were not nearly as frequent as she liked. She missed how it'd been earlier on, when they'd been planning the escape, and she could just hang out with him and him alone in a car for a couple hours. As it was, by the time he actually got the Light she'd usually worked her way up into missing his company quite intensely.

 

Indeed, he had noticed, and he carefully looked back over his shoulder to the bed and then back to her, raising an eyebrow. As usual, he stared at her in a frankly rather inappropriate way but it wasn't nearly as frantic or nervous as it had been before. The more relaxed version of that look of his was unfortunately far more devastating and she felt herself unduly swayed by it. He looked away, thankfully, and ran a hand over his scalp.

 

"Ms Nagasaki wants to talk to me again," he said, clearing his throat. "I need to head back down at some point." Casey nodded, then bit her lip.

 

"You- you can go now, if you'd like. I don't want to, like, trap you here or anything..." she felt awkward, they had definitely taken a wrong turn and crossed over into awkward territory. "Dennis, we don't have to make out all the time," she said, trying to sound casual.

 

He looked at her with that inscrutable expression of his and she wished she could place a hand to his chest to know if his heart was racing as fast as hers. In theory she could probably look at his pulse with her powers but her worry made it hard to focus. "Is that an offer or a request?" he asked, carefully. "Because I'm happy to do... ah, anything else you'd like to do. Together. Or if you'd like time to yourself, I can-"

 

Casey snorted. "I take that to mean you'd like to maybe continue," she said, climbing to her feet. "To keep things the way they are." She reached forward to tug him up, out of his seat. "Trust me, I've enough free time when you're not around. But, you know, if you want some time, just let me-"

 

Mimicking Casey's snort, Dennis shook his head. "I've... already spent a lot of time... by myself," he mumbled, letting Casey drag him over to the bed. "I... appreciate the company," he added with a awed note in his voice as he stared at her.

 

"And I appreciate less buttons to deal with," she said, tugging at his shirt as he slowly worked it open. He shrugged the item off and she waited while he neatly folded it and set it on the foot of the bed where it possibly might not get disturbed. "Here, see. Excellent. We're all getting what we want now," she said, pushing him back on the bed and crawling atop him.

 

Biting her lip, she dragged his hand to her hip and then guided his eager touch up under her shirt. Again she noticed the way he'd run his fingers over her scars along the way and considered calling him out on it. It wasn't so much that it angered or upset her, she just wanted to know if he was doing it intentionally or not and if so, why. The question was soon forgotten though as she watched him struggle with waves of excessive lust and delight the act seem to inspire in him. There was a strangled gasp and his hips bucked as she ran her nails down his chest.

 

She liked the way he smiled, when she touched him, and was quite happy to do so as long as he'd let her. When his grip on her bra shifted, she froze. Feeling his fingers carefully slip between the cup and her breast was not getting easier and every time they'd done this so far had felt exactly as the first. Her uncle had squeezed her breasts more than once and for a moment the memory struck her and her hold on Dennis's hand spasmed. He froze and they both waited before she relaxed and nodded encouragingly to him, the memory having receded slightly, with effort.

 

Licking his lips, he continued to hold relatively still and she resented the memory of her uncle even further. Reaching up, she pressed her hand over his, making it clear as she could that he should continue.  After a moment his hand began to move again and she was rewarded with the carefully pinch and then tug of a nipple. She made a happy sound and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips as she encouraged his other hand to join in. Once she got over the initial feelings it was always wonderful, certainly worth the momentary discomfort. It was just sometimes difficult to remember the fact, or convince Dennis of it.

 

The decision to fuck him suddenly seemed a reasonable one. It came over her quite unexpectedly and she realize that she wasn't interested in waiting any longer for some further reason to take the next step or not. She was uncomfortable with some things, yes, but if she waited for them to go away completely she might be waiting a long time. She was sick of waiting, she decided. Reaching down between them, she began to fumble with his pants. It took him a moment to register what she was doing, so enchanted was he by the chance to grope her.

 

"Casey- I-" he started to exclaim and she stopped, looking confused.

 

"I'm sorry, do you not want to?" she asked, clearly holding her hands away from him. She'd yet to upset him with her demands, it had seemed, but she was perfectly willing to believe she'd cross a line of his at some point. He blinked at her a couple times, and then looked her up and down.

 

"I mean, of course I do," he said, as if the answer were obvious. "It's just... you don't seem to want me to even touch you and it's... sort of a big step and... I don't know if I can..." he shifted under her slightly, seeming far more aroused than worried from her perspective. "I don't know if I can promise to not..." He looked at her nervously, "I might do something I'm not supposed to."

 

Rolling her eyes, Casey scooted back off his lap and drew her knees up to her chin. "I'm pretty sure by a lot of people's definition we're already breaking the 'not supposed to' rule for a number of things." Dennis sat up and hesitated a long moment before reaching out to gently pat her on the arm as if she was a fragile kind of girl. With a heavy sigh, she looked at him searchingly. "What do you want to do, Dennis?" She smiled as best she could. "I feel like I've been setting the... pace," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. Slowly she leaned forward again, reaching out to touch his chest. "What is it you'd like to do?"

 

Dennis just rolled his lower lip under his teeth and sat there for a moment, holding himself still. "Whatever you want," he recited and she shook her head.

 

"No, I'm serious," she tilted her head as she looked at him. "What do you want to do? You- You can touch me if you like," she added. Dennis looked worried and quickly shook his head. She appreciated his urge to respect her limits but suddenly felt the earnest want to, for once, let him set the rules. "Don't you want to touch me?" she asked with a feigned pout. It was a cheap move, guaranteed to distress him, but she wanted him to tell her the truth.

 

"Yes!" he said, as expected, before quickly amending it to a "No" and then qualifying that he didn't need to, he was happy with everything she'd let him do. With a sigh she shook her head. Reaching forward, she placed her hands on either side of his face and pulled him into a kiss which helped calm him before she leaned back and gave him a stern stare.

 

"Dennis. Look at me," she said, even though he already was. "I want you to tell me what you want to do." A pained look crossed his face and she sighed again, planting another brief kiss upon him before adding. "I promise I wont get angry. Tell me. I'm not promising I'll agree to it, I just want to know." It suddenly occurred to her to wonder and worry about the extent his 'unhealthy interests' might go, to use a phrase the media had over hyped during the manhunt for the Horde.

 

Closing his eyes, he let out a shaky breath. "I want to touch- to touch your scars," he ducked his head as he said it, as if confessing to a crime. It did sound like a strange request and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. She had, she remembered, just been intent on trying to fuck his brains out not just moments before, which probably involve getting naked anyway so it wasn't like her scars weren't already going to be an issue. Somehow she'd forgotten about them though, for a moment, and she was sort of surprised to even realize the fact. Spending time with Dennis, while perhaps not relieving her of the idea she was different, somehow at least helped her overlook a lot of the bad parts about being so.

 

She nodded her head, contemplating the request further, before moving forward again. A gentle shove to his chest had him laying back down and she again moved to straddle his hips. She hesitated briefly, almost deciding not to, and then quickly pulled off her shirts, a layer or two at a time. The sound Dennis made at the sight of her was absolutely perverse and she blushed to feel the sentiment echoed in other ways. She crossed her arms over her chest, certain that it was definitely not normal to get so turned on by scars she'd inflected by her own hand.

 

His hands twitched, where they rest lightly beside her legs and she realized he again waited for permission to touch her. Suddenly wanting it to be over with, she leaned back and quickly battled with her jeans, wiggling out of them and tossing them over her shoulder and onto the floor. When she crawled back atop him again, she sat there in nothing but her panties. Thankfully she hadn't been entirely unaware of this possible outcome and had grabbed one of her cuter pairs when dressing this morning. For his part, Dennis appeared to be absolutely stunned by the sight of her. He stared at her agog for an extend period of time, the occasional twitch of his cock, now even more notable, being her only feedback on how this was going.

 

Hastily she explained most of the patches, the whens and the whys easier to talk about than she expected and she was happy that he asked no follow up questions. Her calf remained out of sight and unremarked upon. When his fingers began to lightly brush across the raised shapes that marred her skin, she felt herself growing far more excited than she'd expect. That he was clearly turned on by the patch dedicated to the Beast's kills was... interesting. She felt in the back of her mind that maybe she should find it more disturbing but the way he moved to lightly drop kisses upon each tally mark made it hard to pass any such judgement.

 

When he rolled them over and she came to rest under him there was another brief moment where she had to fight back unpleasant memories. It helped that when she eventually nodded for him to continue he immediately lowered his head to resume raining kisses along her hip. Her uncle had never done anything like that and the feel of his tongue over her skin was exciting and new, wholey untarnished by her past. His excitement seemed to grow as hers did, his kisses beginning to wander a little further afield from her hip. It took her a moment to catch on but she just let out a surprised, "oh!", and let her legs part when she felt his gentle touch.

 

* * *

 

Dr Staple let her hand flutter down to rest on the sedated woman laying in front of her. The sense of awe she felt at having such power literally at her fingertips was intense and she licked her lips. "How much longer is she expected to remain under for?" she asked, glancing at the individual who seemed to perform the role of both nurse and guard for her.

 

Flipping up a sheet of paper affixed to a clipboard at the other end of the gurney he scanned it for a moment before answering her briskly. "Mr Young will be visiting the facility later this week," he added, giving her an unreadable look. "He'll want a full report." Ellie felt her delight marred slightly with the comment, no doubt the reason he made it. She hated being reminded how short her leash was here. The bruises may have faded from the initial 'negotiations' of her employment with the Blacktree corporation but the constant subtle reminders of her position remained.

 

Less than a year ago, when she'd finally gotten her hands on all three of the Reynold's patients, she had vigorously sworn that she'd give anything to continue her research. Now that her drunken claims had been put to the test she knew them to be true, which was somewhat of a surprise. It was a bitter victory however, as not a single one of her recent discoveries had even the barest chance of being published. Instead of dry academic papers churned out to guarantee her funding she found herself slaving twice as hard over dry technical reports to guarantee her survival. It wasn't much of an existence, but then again she'd always let her work consume too much of her life.

 

* * *

 

It was one thing to know in abstract that Patricia fancied her. It was another thing entirely to be confronted with the sensations and physical response of such an attraction. It'd been several days since the incident, it thankfully going completely unremarked upon as she'd requested, and again Victoria rubbed at her lips, marveling at how the memory still lingered.

 

She'd fantasized for so long about what it would be like to kiss Orwell and she realized she still had no idea. In none of her scenarios had it felt like what Patricia inspired in her. Orwell would be so sweet and gentle and loving, she just knew it. Patricia on the other hand had been so... insistent. And overwhelming, demanding. She'd never really considered what it'd be like to be kissed with such adjectives. She briefly felt a flash of guilt for getting Patricia in trouble with Dennis. While she had said 'no' and yes, Patricia should have listened to her, Victoria couldn't help but feel guilty for perhaps protesting a little too hard in the first place.

 

Normally life was so overwhelming on its own, so much to process and keep in mind, that she felt a guilty interest in wondering what it would be like to have just given in. To let Patricia make the hard decisions for her. Like, was it ethical to sleep with a alternate personality that inhibited the same body of the man she'd been lusting after for for years? Should she feel guilty for entertaining the affections or, she blushed at the thought, more from the sexual partner of her friend Joseph? Likely Casey's as well? Was the promise of intense, unspeakable passion worth risking her life for, given that the Beast could technically emerge at any moment and definitely wanted to eat her? Was she somehow betraying her species and moral society if she was turned on by a known murder who had yet to demonstrate any sort of remorse for her actions? These sort of questions helped tamp down her libido and allow rational thought to resume its rightful place. Letting cooler thoughts guide her, she of course found herself standing before the bookshelf.

 

Closing her eyes she let her hand drift across the shelves before she stopped and peeked an eye open. She'd technically come to rest upon a Russian phrase book but she pretended it'd stopped two books over. "Hmm... Kant? I don't think so." Closing her eyes again she tried again. It took four more tries till she landed on Virginia Held. Pulling the book from the shelf she flipped through it. She made a thoughtful sound, not a particularly happy one, but wandered over to the nearest sofa nonetheless and settled down to read.

 

* * *

 

It'd only been twenty minutes but Casey was already feeling her eyes glaze over and fought back an urge to yawn. She'd originally accepted the invitation to join the discussion because she thought it'd be interesting, enlightening. The idea of learning about how they planned to find others like them should have been exciting. Instead it reminded her of the boring parts of her sociology, chemistry, and science classes from high school, all rolled into one long discussion.

 

The only thing that kept her from falling asleep or, better yet, just excusing herself from the room was the occasional weird vibes she was picking up between Patricia and Victoria. The fact that Orwell wasn't primarily in the Light for this sort of thing was also a little surprising but Patricia had explained to everyone that he he'd already been working with Cadence and Mr Glass and understood everything. She was there, she claimed, same as everyone else to learn and catch up on the latest developments.

 

Joseph continued to follow the conversation in a literal sense, in that he kept turning to look at whoever was speaking, but Casey suspected he was just as lost as she was. David had opted out and it looked like Blue wished he had as well, though he remained at the table, eyes drooping and arms crossed across his chest. Max sat in a chair but no one seemed to notice him and Jeff was there as well, but there was no way the child could follow what was being discussed. Victoria alternated between over-excited, long winded explanations of the parts she understood and questions that seemed to side-track the conversation Ms Nagasaki was trying to lead.

 

"I don't understand though," Victoria said, her expression suggesting she was thinking hard. "If stress and negative... stimuli trigger this shift, why aren't we seeing a sea of super powered individuals flowing out of war torn countries? No offense meant to any at this table but I feel like many in, say Syria or Myanmar, have had it quite worse than anyone here."

 

Ms Nagaskaki nodded her head and flashed the woman a tight smile. "An excellent question. One I've often wondered about. It seems like there's more to the equation than just the... triggering stresses, let's say. There's something about the stability in the surrounding environment that, when contrasted with the... negative stimuli, seems to be the ideal conditions for the development of these... progressions. Which is why I find the Beast's obsession with the 'Impure' so fascinating. I believe that the presence of so many 'stable individuals', let us say," again she flashed a smile at Victoria, this one even less warm, "is part of the catalyst for the change."

 

Casey felt uneasy, having been able to follow at least that much of the conversation. While she'd protest the suggestion that she'd had a stable surrounding environment at home with her uncle, there was something in what the woman said that ate at her. The memory of enduring classes, surrounded by so many of her happily chatting fellow students was like an emotional gut punch. Uneasily she glanced over at Patricia and found her to be looking equally uncomfortable. The two locked eyes for a moment and Casey remembered waking up in that room with Claire and Marcia. The absolute fear and panic the two girls had demonstrated while Casey had felt... something else. Patricia was first to break eye contact, looking away and then down at the hands clasped in her lap.

 

The conversation had moved on by this point and Casey wasn't surprised to find Victoria once again rattling off her various theories and ideas she'd formed as to how their powers worked. Cadence and Ms Nagasaki were giving her skeptical looks at some of the more wild claims she was making. Seeing this Joseph let out a heavy sigh, and said "It's too bad about your research, Victoria." The woman nodded sadly and Casey focused again at the mention of the papers.

 

"I had collected quite a number papers relating to the manifestation of these powers, at the biological level," she explained. "Not related to what we're talking about, with the root causes, but still it was fascinating." She let out a depressed sigh and then sat up straighter, frowning. "I.. I hope none of those... Blacktree individuals found it." She bit her lip and looked quite distressed. "Do.. do you think they searched my apartment?" The idea of the organization learning more about them seemed to distress more than just Victoria.

 

Casey could see Patricia out of the corner of her eye looking worried and, catching Casey's eye, she shook her head a fraction. That however didn't stop Casey from opening her mouth. "Actually..." she reluctantly said and Patricia more frantically shook her head, eyes widening. "I- we have your research." Victoria turned to her, a look of horror on her face. "We took the folder last time we were at your house. I- I figured you didn't need it anymore and I wanted to know more. About, you know, our powers and stuff."

 

"You took the folder," Victoria breathed and glanced over to Patricia who, for her part, seemed to struggle to look innocent but appeared too embarrassed to pull it off. "You...," she gulped, "you went through the folder?" Casey nodded apologetically while Patricia just closed her eyes and held perfectly still. Everyone else at the table seemed quite confused by this exchange though Cadence grinned and seemed to take delight in it.

 

"This is good news then?" Ms Nagasaki asked carefully. "You have this folder?" She looked to Casey and Victoria paled even further.

 

"I have the folder," Patricia clarified. "I took it from Casey the moment I found out. I apologize, I insisted that we return it but..." She shifted uncomfortably in the chair as Victoria now stared at her, aghast.

 

Ms Nagasaki glanced between the two of them. "Well I'd like to see the papers if you have them...?" She started to ask and both of them immediately replied with a slightly panicked 'no'.

 

"I, ah," Victoria glanced at Joseph who was looking at her in confusion. "I..."

 

"There's some sensitive notes," Patricia explained, finally regaining her composure. "After some simple redactions I'm sure Victoria would be happy to share her work." The woman closed her eyes and nodded silently in agreement to this. "It really is quite impressive everything she managed to gather," Patricia added and reached out to pat Victoria's hand though for once the woman withdrew from the contact and continued to look quite miserable. This earned Casey a glare for some reason and she wondered what the hell had been written in amongst those pages.

 

* * *

 

Victoria awkwardly followed Patricia back to her room and stood just outside the door, waiting as she dug through the duffle bag and pulled out the folder. The woman wouldn't look her in the eye as Patricia held out the documents. She looked so completely miserable that Patricia realized with a sigh that it couldn't go unremarked upon. As Victoria reached for it, Patricia pulled it back and held the folder against her chest, staring at the woman with pursed lips.

 

Victoria gave her a pained look but it was also quite defeated. Patricia glanced to the door and back, raising an eyebrow, and the woman stepped into the room with a sigh and closed the door behind her. Tapping a finger against the cursed item, Patricia watched Victoria as the woman just stood there, head bowed. "If it makes you feel any better, she only saw a couple pages, nothing to be worried about."

 

"But you read them all," it wasn't even a question though she did sigh, "and so, did... did everyone read them all?"

 

"No. Though Orwell did," the woman winced, "of course he was more fascinated with the papers themselves than your notes."

 

"Of course he was," she muttered and raised a hand to cover her face. For a moment Patricia worried the woman might start crying again but thankfully it didn't come to that. After a while she sighed, "I was drunk," she muttered in explanation, "Dennis had whisked Casey away, you all dumped a child on me and then took him away again, they weren't consulting with me on any sort of plan, and I was fired from my job." With another sigh she dropped her hand and finally looked at Patricia in embarrassment. "So... I got drunk in the middle of the day on a bottle of wine and reviewed my research and added some... notes. And comments. And theories. And..." she sighed.

 

Patricia held out the folder to the woman and she took it, opening it to a random page and wincing before closing it again. "I thought you shared those with Joseph?" Patricia asked, resisting the urge to smile.

 

With a shrug, Victoria tucked the folder under her arm. "We talked about things, yes, but he rarely ever looked at the papers and... and Casey was partially right. I... I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you, any of you, again," she looked away again. "Is this why... the other day, when you... because..."

 

Unable to help herself, Patricia chucked. "Oh goodness no, pet. I assure you I'd the interest and intent on my own well enough to... motivate my 'bad' behavior." She pursed her lips at the word, watching Victoria closely. That the woman looked guilty was unmistakable and delightful. "I'll admit I found some of your notes... fascinating. And insightful." She licked her lips and looked her up and down once again. It was difficult to hold onto her promise to be good. "Quite an interesting question you raised about the refractory period, it-"

 

"Stop!" Victoria gasped, again covering her face with a hand. "Please, just... let's... not talk about it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly opted to yank a major plot element out of the story in order to get it completed in < 200k words, so chapter lacks an action-y bite (and the Beast) though I'd like to assure you the final chapter is in better shape in those regards. Titled "What did you think would happen?", I've gotten half of it written with a clear idea of what else needs to be added and then... I'll be done. Odd idea, that. 
> 
> I've a little plot piece I can tip one way or another and I'm curious as to people's feelings about happy endings or happy endings laced through with a feeling of sadness/tragedy? Feels like I've flashed a number of narrative pistols in the story and I'm scrambling to line them up and all fire them all off before the final curtain falls... What does an "end" to a story like this even mean/look like? Well, I mean, I've got an idea but... it's a guess?
> 
> Still am trying to avoid any new updates or info about the movie... ticket purchased for next Thursday!


	15. What did you think would happen?

Elijah watched as the three of them flipped through the information packet, fingers steepled. 

 

"That's it?" Dennis asked, frowning and going back to the first couple pages. "There's five different people here, which one is it?" He looked around the table. 

 

"That's sort of the point, Dennis," Ms Nagasaki said, watching him while glancing occasionally to Casey. "We don't know. Be happy you've a reduced list of names to work from. Often we can't even distill that much." There was a pause and after glancing at Elijah she added, "Victoria's improvements to the system have helped, at least with this case."

 

"How long?" Blue asked, frowning at the list. "This is going to take time. You failed to include some contact details," he added, turning to look towards Elijah. Assuming the comment was an attempt at humor, Elijah gave the man a look and said nothing. At least he hadn't made a bombing joke. Cadence and the man seemed to be fond of making continued references to his past though the others found it to be in poor taste. Elijah just thought they weren't funny.

 

"How are we supposed to find someone based off a picture and a first name?" Casey asked, sounding irritated. "Isn't that the, you know... hacker's job or something?"

 

Ms Nagasaki smiled at the girl. "This is the end result of 'the hacker's work, guided heavily by Mr Glass, with some additional details provided by Victoria. Be thankful. This is going to take some good old fashioned leg work. I'm budging three days in addition to the travel time to and from Nashville, for this. Good luck."

 

Casey huffed and Elijah heard her mutter to Dennis, "This is going to suck."

 

* * *

 

After seven hours of driving, Case was more than ready to check into their room. That Blue had casually booked only one for Dennis and herself was still vaguely scandalizing but also exciting. Casey reached for the envelope eagerly and Blue suddenly pulled it back away, holding it out of her reach.  "Don't ever say I didn't do something for you," he said and then winked before actually passing it to her. Vaguely embarrassed, she looked at the room number scrawled on it and then her eyes widened.

 

"Wait, how many floors does this place have?" she asked in surprise. It turned out there were thirty one of them, which she realized when stepped out of the elevator towards their room that indeed was at the very top. Blue had gotten off several floors below and she now felt very, very grateful. Dropping Dennis's hand, she wandered into the room the company had booked them for their stay in Nashville. The view was breathtaking and she stepped around the leather couch to press her nose against the window. 

 

"Dennis," she said, her breath fogging the glass. "I don't think I've ever been this high up in a building before." She turned to look at him as he came to stand next to her. "I don't think I could have imagined where I'd be a year ago." Dennis nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest. "This is... insane." She turned back to the window, and pressed her hands against the glass. "I can See out the building and it is really, really weird." Closing her eyes she rested her forehead against it. "It's all so strange, you know? You’ve… come a long way as well. What's the strangest thing that's happened to you in the last year?" she asked in an almost tentative voice. 

 

He looked over at her and then carefully ran the back of a finger down her arm. "This."

 

Of course she swooned at that. Not everyone would have appreciated being called strange but she wondered how there could have been a more sweet response to her question than that. At this point they of course stumbled toward the bed, their frantic tugging at various pieces of clothing not especially well coordinated. The bed was of course stupidly luxurious and larger than any she'd ever slept on. It actually took some time to work their way to the middle of it, but she was determined not to stop till they'd reached the exact right spot. Dennis might not care where exactly they settled, but then again he didn't have quite the visual spectrum she did to appreciate everything. 

 

It was appropriately drawn out and passionate and wonderful. They hadn't been waiting to have sex for any particularly good reason, they'd just not quite gotten to it yet. Dennis's enthusiasm for going down on her had derailed the several attempts so far but they were both of the same mind this evening. Casey hadn't been a virgin for most her life, so she knew how everything worked, technically speaking, and she was beyond relieved to have their first time together go so perfectly. Dennis clearly had spent a lot of time thinking about... things, so while he technically was the virgin, she was exceptionally pleased with his performance. It was afterwards that the problem arose.

 

Dennis sagged over her, head coming to rest on her shoulder. His breathing was slowing down and she was not surprised when he yawned. She happily patted his bottom, legs still loosely wrapped around his waist. "That was very nice," she said, sounding quite content and equally exhausted. Closing her eyes, she arched against him again and then laughed as he seemed to lower himself onto her, his eyes fluttering closed. It was about then that hers snapped open.

 

"Dennis!" she said, suddenly worried. She started to push against his shoulders, to wake him up, when his hands moved unnaturally fast and pinned her wrists to the bed. Slowly he raised his head back ups again, tilting it to the side.

 

"Hello," the Beast breathed, rolling his hips against her, still buried within her. Casey immediately started thrashing, trying to pull loose. "Calm," he murmured against her neck, leaning forward to nuzzle her slightly. Opening her mouth, she drew a breath to scream and then froze. She could scream and then what? Call for help? "Breath," he whispered, kissing her neck and continuing to thrust into her. Feeling light headed, Casey let out her held breath, realizing that someone intruding right now was perhaps the last thing she wanted. Which was impressive, given how much she did not want what was happening right then.

 

"Get off me," she gasped, having struggled a while longer but finally going still as she realized she wasn't going to break free. His response was obvious as he just moved to nibbling on the other side of her neck. "Go away," she tried to command, struggling to keep her breathing calm. "I want Dennis."

 

"Dennis is asleep right now," he whispered in her ear. "Someone must claim the Light." He dragged his tongue across her neck. "Claim you." Casey blinked back tears of frustration and stared furiously at the ceiling. "You are angry at me now. But you are wrong." He thrust again and Casey made a muffled sound as she realized he was growing quite hard within her, far sooner than she would have thought possible. "I didn't take the Light," He thrust again and Casey also realized he somehow felt thicker than Dennis had been. "Dennis fell asleep all on his own," he growled, punctuating the final words with an additional thrust each. 

 

Casey drew a deep breath again, this time in abstract horror. While she'd certainly thought quite a lot about being with Dennis, she realized she might not have been fully contemplating all the possibilities and ramifications of it. It suddenly occurred to her that she'd never actually spoken to Joseph about how things worked with himself and Barry. She'd convinced herself it was respect for his privacy and not cowardice that had forestalled such a conversation.

 

"Would you rather someone else?" he rumbled, clearly amused at the idea. "The woman? The child?" Casey immediately began to struggle again against his hold, enraged at the suggestions. This time he released her wrists, instead gripping her hips tightly. He let her rain blows upon his chest and arms, squinting and turning his head away when she tried to strike his face. "Be nice," he warned, "or I'll give the Light to Luke." The horror at the very idea locked her in place for a moment and he nearly purred in delight, returning to nuzzling her neck.

 

After a moment, she began to push at him, but in a different way this time, fearful rather than angry. "Wait, no, if you- if you.... finish, who else is next? Do you always- after-" She trembled and it seemed to please him further. He made happy sounds low in his chest as he continued to fuck her for a while without answering. In the face of such absolute indifference to her protests, Casey again dropped her arms and squeezed her eyes closed. What bothered her less than the Beast behaving about as poorly as any of them would have expected, was how good it felt. She wanted Dennis, she was very certain of that. Sweet, kind, respectful Dennis who kept his hands to himself. The Beast's hands that gripped her waist were the exact opposite of that and she was shocked by how it felt. She'd never before really understood the deal made about the size of a guy's dick but now...

 

"No," he eventually said, and she blinked, startled out her daze by it. "You will be safe. He won't sleep long and won’t make the same mistake again." He moved his head and pressed a kiss to her lips. When he drew back she gasped and found herself wrapping her legs around his waist. At this point she figured there was no harm in enjoying it somewhat. There was no violence in his actions, just indifference to her protests and a disturbingly arousing way of handling her body. "It won’t be this easy next time," he said, gazing down at her and licking his lips.

 

Casey's eyes fluttered closed at the suggestion of a next time. There most certainly wasn't going to be a next time, she tried to assure herself as he released her waist and moved a hand grip a breast. Arching her back, she moaned loudly and couldn't help but bring her hands up to rest on his shoulders. That her hips began to rock enthusiastically against his seemed a betrayal to Dennis and yet she couldn't stop.

 

* * *

 

"Oh, I don't mind," Dennis said, looking at her and blinking. She'd seemed so nervous, recounting everything that'd happened up to that point. He was somewhat confused by the way she'd paused dramatically after recounting the guilt she felt. 

 

Casey continued to hesitate before asking, "You don't mind I had sex with the Beast?" Dennis froze for a moment, realizing he should be very careful with how he answered.

 

"No?" he asked more than said and cursed the inflection, his hope that he'd offered the right answer too obvious. 

 

"No?" She repeated, wrapping her arms about herself. She'd pulled on the hotel robe after her shower and he got distracted for a moment by the way it gaped open.

 

"I mind that he didn't listen to you and that he hurt you," he was quick to explain for that at least was the truth. He clasped her hand and raised it to his lips. "I hate myself for falling asleep and putting you in that situation-" she gave him a warning look and he quickly added "-which I will not blame myself for again." 

 

"He didn't hurt me," Casey muttered, pulling her hand away and staring at him. He couldn't tell if she was angry or not, sometimes the look she wore meant confusion or just that she was thinking really hard. While he'd been spending as much time as he could with Casey, there was still a lot to learn. "Dennis, what do you think of me having sex with the Beast?" she asked, far too directly. He gulped and looked away. He too was wearing a hotel bathrobe and he suddenly found it much too stifling. Her intense expression was interrupted by the briefest twitch of a lip. "Dennis, are you turned on be me fucking the Beast?" she asked, giving him a hard look.

 

Closing his eyes he drew a deep breath. "Yes," he answered, feeling guilty but unable to deny her anything, including the truth. There was what he would have called a snort of almost laughter and then the sound of her flopping back on the bed. Opening his eyes, he cherished the sight of her sprawled out so casually before him.

 

"I... guess I shouldn't be surprised," she said with a sigh. Raising her hands, she scrubbed at her face. "Oh god, I hate to even ask but... Barry?" She glanced over at him. Dennis ducked his head and looked away. It was an open ended question but he believed he knew what she was asking. 

 

"He...," he cleared his throat, knowing he shared details that were really not his to share. "He has Felicia and Polly... stand watch." He closed his eyes again. "I think I understand what Samuel was talking about now," he added with a sigh.

 

There was a moment of contemplative silence, Casey clearly turning a thought over in her head. "And Patricia?" she asked and Dennis looked at her with wide eyes. "I mean, I don't get the impression they are- yet- but... when they do? Because it's obviously going to happen, right?" Dennis just shook his head in surprise. 

 

"We- ah- I'm not sure if she's aware of the- the need," he stumbled through. She hadn't explicitly asked about Patricia's interrupted attempt to seduce the woman and he knew well enough to not bring it up. He also didn't feel like mentioning what a sensitive subject sex was at the moment in general for the group. Casey rolled onto her stomach and kicked her heels as she spoke.

 

"I mean, it obviously needs to be Orwell, right?" Dennis winced at the suggestion. "I mean, I know you said he wasn't into sex but..." Casey looked back over her shoulder at him "Either that or Patricia's not getting laid? And as Victoria's roommate, I can assure you that she at least definitely needs to get laid."

 

Dennis got up and paced the room a bit. This was not a discussion he wanted to be having. "There's no way he'd agree to it," he muttered. 

 

There was another snort from Casey and she rolled back onto her back. Pushing up onto her elbows, robe falling open again, she said "Just convince him it'll help Victoria. I mean, it's true either way. He'll scratch her itch and she'll be over her obsession with him and therefore no longer vulnerable to Patricia or, you know, they'll be having... safer sex." She paused for a moment and then grinned widely at him. Dennis shook his head, not finding the idea as amusing as she did, but grew distracted as Casey played with the ties of her robe.

 

"But returning to the subject of sex with the Beast," she said, lowering eye eyes as she licked her lips. "I understand it's only if you need to sleep-"

 

"It doesn't have to only be when I fall asleep," Dennis hastened to clarify.

 

* * *

 

Joseph heard Jeff shout in excitement when the boy realized the Horde had returned. He wasn't sure who it was that walked through the doors with Casey, no one he recognized at least, but the moment Jeff cried out and ran down the steps Hedwig claimed the Light and excitedly began to tell Jeff all about the trip. At one point he turned to Casey and she handed over a bag to him which he proudly presented to the child. Jeff seemed lukewarm about the snow globe Hedwig had picked out for him but was far more enthusiastic about the bag of sweets that accompanied it. 

 

It took effort, but Joseph was proud of himself for remaining calm and chill as the group was welcomed back. He was pretty sure his desire to see Barry matched the enthusiasm of the child's but he understood how it had to be. Victoria also seemed to hang back with him, flashing Hedwig a warm smile and nodding to Casey.

 

Ms Nagasaki eventually descended the stairs, Cadence and Mr Glass emerging from the elevator not long after, and Hedwig reluctantly yielded the Light to Dennis. Drawing out his glasses, he apologized to the woman that they returned empty handed though she just nodded, clearly having kept up to date with Blue during their trip. With a tip of her head the group headed into her office, leaving Victoria and Joseph alone with the child. Jeff was the first one to sigh dramatically, and the two adults laughed at that, a sort of tension having successfully been broken.

 

Victoria didn’t wait long before she shepherded the child towards the kitchen with her. "I'm sure they'll want a snack, they've been driving for so long. What do you think Hedwig and Casey would like to eat, Jeff?" she asked in an obvious attempt to distract the child and keep him occupied. Joseph found himself left in the common space alone and he looked around nervously. He didn't know how long he'd need to wait but knew he couldn't possibly miss the chance to maybe see Barry.

 

Thankfully they weren't long, the group spilling out of the office some twenty minutes later. A the sound of them, Jeff rushed out of the kitchen with a plate of sandwiches which he proudly presented to everyone. The enthusiasm for the snack was low but the group thanked the child and took as small of portion as they could. Victoria joined them and again seemed to hover at the edge of the group with Joseph, waiting. Eventually Casey dropped a quick kiss on Dennis's lips before heading up the stairs, alone. Both Joseph and Victoria exchanged a glance at that and he wondered if she was perhaps as uneasy as he was with the age difference between the two. While Casey was legally an adult and could do whatever she wanted, Joseph suspected more individuals than just his father were quite skeptical in regards to the appropriateness of their now casually flaunted relationship.

 

Dennis stood there for a moment before he removed his glasses and then Joseph was being swept into a passionate embrace. Victoria took a step back in mild surprise at the suddenness of the transition and pointedly tried not to eavesdrop as Barry whispered something quite inappropriate in Joseph's ear. The man flushed and ducked his head, grinning. He'd been planning on sharing with Barry the exciting news that Elijah had looped him into the company's security work while they were gone but he realized such updates could perhaps happen later. The two men stumbled up the stairs, hands already wandering over each other, and Joseph prayed they wouldn't bump into his dad before they reached Barry's room.

 

* * *

 

Victoria looked surprised as Dennis wound his way past the counter and towards a bank of cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. She looked around and then back into the empty common room behind her before stepping in and letting the door swing closed. She'd just somehow assumed when Dennis asked to talk to her that Casey would be around. It seemed almost odd to speak to the man without the girl in sight. 

 

"Was- You said you wanted to talk?" Victoria asked carefully. He paused and looked back at her, looking innocent. It was late and the group had returned only an hour ago from some local job that had gone questionably well. When Dennis had mentioned wanting to speak with her later, she'd believed it had something to do with their work but now she questioned that assumption.

 

"We used to speak often, Victoria. Is it so strange I'd want to talk?" He turned and continued towards a one of the higher up cabinets which he pulled open and began to dig around within.

 

"Yes, we did," she both spoke and moved cautiously as she approached the counter Dennis had just placed a bottle of liquor upon. "But that was literally under duress- there was no where you could go, it's not like you had a lot of say in the matter. So you might see why I'm a little… skeptical."

 

Dennis paused, looking at her carefully. "I'm sorry I've given you that impression," he said. Moving to another cabinet, he pulled out two shot glasses and, after quickly wiping them clean, placed them on the counter. Victoria's eyebrows rose dramatically.

 

"Are- I didn't think you drank?" she seemed quite surprised as Dennis poured a shot for them both and looked at her. "Are you bracing for something? Why are we drinking?" Dennis closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Do you have something you want to tell me?" She folded her arms tightly over her chest and he definitely looked pained.

 

Opening his eyes he shook his head and held up the pair of glasses, one extended towards her. "I drink when I need to," he explained. "You, however, used to drink with Orwell often. Or so I've been lead to believe. Am I too intolerable of company to share the same with?"

 

She flushed at that, both angry and embarrassed. With a huff she accepted the shot and knocked it back immediately. "That's a terrible thing to say. You're not intolerable company and it's beneath you to guilt me into saying so. I'm happy to hang out with you, Dennis. You don't have to guilt me into it." He blinked and looked startled by what she'd said.

 

"I wasn't-" he started to say and then shook his head. Rather than finish his thought, he too knocked back the shot. They both examined each other closely as they settled their glasses on the counter.

 

"You want to talk to me about something," she stated again, looking thoughtful as she watched him pour them another round. "Is this about Casey?" He paused and Victoria sighed. "You slept with Casey?" Dennis seemed to wince at that, less from guilt than just discomfort at being asked such a prying question.

 

"That's hardly your business." He pointed at her, lifting the glass again. "But yes, Casey and I are... together," he said carefully as he sipped at his drink rather than downing it in one go this time.

 

"Together? What? Are you going steady? Boyfriend and girlfriend?" Victoria made an unhappy sound. "Dennis, she's 18. The girl hasn't even gone to college. For goodness sake, she can't even legally drink! How could you possibly think such a relationship is appropriate?" Victoria huffed. "While you two may be just barely on this side of legality, surely you must morally see what a bad idea it is-"

 

"She uses her powers for good, to help others like us, and she understands. She understands us like no one else does, or could." His tone wasn't even defensive, he seemed to just be stating facts. "The Beast understands she's Pure and for him that's all that matters." He gazed into his glass for a while before eventually knocking back what remained 

 

"Yes, well, I guess knowing your murderous alter ego won't kill your love interest is an important thing to take into consideration." Victoria looked thoughtful as she continued to take small sips from the shot glass. Dennis glared at her. 

 

"And Orwell? What could you possibly see in him?" While Orwell was unfortunately far from being her lover, she understood the comparison.

 

"He's kind. And thoughtful. And smart. And-" Dennis could no doubt hear her teeth click, she'd snapped her mouth closed so fast. Victoria had almost slipped up but thankfully caught herself in time. She felt that it was a bad idea to describe her physical attraction towards Orwell to an individuals who inhabited the same body. 

 

"And?" He topped off both their glasses. Victoria shook her head violently, lips dramatically compressed. The faint flush from the alcohol that she'd been cultivating was drowned out with a growing blush. Patricia had said only she and Orwell had read her notes but Victoria couldn't help but wonder how much she might have gossiped to Dennis about. 

 

"That's not very nice," he observed, picking up the shot and immediately downing it. 

 

She fidgeted with her own drink and murmured, "Sorry." He reached over and took the glass out from under her fingers and downed it as well. A period of silence passed after that and she wondered if her reluctance had ended what appeared to be one of the few open conversations she'd had with the man. Victoria poured them both another round and this time they sipped it slowly and in relative silence.

 

"And Patricia?" he eventually asked. Victoria drew a shaky breath, half waiting for and half dreading the question.

 

"She's very nice, to me at least," she said and realized by Dennis's expression he hadn't expected her to answer. "And quite competent," she added, noting that her while her drink was barely touched, Dennis's was empty once again. Her memory was that Orwell could hold his liquor quite and she wondered how that translated across alters. "I wanted to mention... that," she said, carefully. "What you s- saw a couple days back, it just- I don't think you- Patricia and I-" She cleared her throat, realizing she wasn't making much progress on trying to address one of the several elephants in the room.

 

Dennis had just begun to reach for the bottle when he suddenly rocked back. He stumbled a step or two and wound up sliding down to the floor, leaning heavily on the pantry door. A pained groan escaped him and he reached up to grab his head.

 

"What the- Dennis!" Victoria cried, scrambling off the stool she’d perched on at some point. Crouching down next to him she put a hand to his forehead and peered at him in worry. "This isn't a contest. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have poured another round."

 

With fumbling hands, he gently batted her away. "Vi- Victoria?" Her name was slightly slurred but the voice immediately recognizable. "I'm sorry we're drunk..." he mumbled, sounding as if the fact seemed to distress him.

 

"Orwell!" Immediately she reached for him, smoothing his shirt over his shoulders and gently trying to calm him. "Orwell... it's ok. It's ok. Dennis and I were just having a drink. You'll be fine... I don't know what got into him..." She bit her lip, watching Orwell struggle to his feet.  When it became clear he wasn't going to make it on his own she coaxed him back to the floor and sat beside him. 

 

"I'm sorry you had to come to while drunk. I didn't realize you were, um... next up. It's good to see you though," she smiled and gripped his hand. The urge to tangle her fingers with his was always there, always tempting, but she restrained herself.

 

"Any chance in the Light is a moment to savor," he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cupboards there. "Even better that it's in your company." They sat like that in companionable silence for a while before Orwell carefully shifted and his head leaned slightly towards her. With another shift, he was able to actually rest it on her shoulder. Face flushed, she turned to stare at the top of his head with wide eyes. She'd certainly seen him drunk before- academics were not unfamiliar with the idea of celebrating their publications in a classic alcoholic fashion, just like everyone else- but he normally got flustered and loud, never physical.

 

The hand she held twitched, but rather than pull away, he moved his other hand to pat hers. Her breath hitched to have him wrap his larger hands around her smaller ones just so. It was everything she'd ever fantasized about and yet seemed slightly off. "Orwell?" she asked carefully. 

 

He didn't reply, just gripped her hands tighter for a moment as he seemed to struggle with something. Victoria's eyes flicked over him, searching for signs of distress or perhaps someone else claiming the Light but there was nothing like that. This was her Orwell, who she was long familiar with, just thinking through some conundrum, like usual, except he rested on her shoulder and held her hand.

 

When he lifted his head to stare at her, her breath caught. Her eyes were drawn to his lips and she flushed further recalling how Patricia's had felt. But this wasn't Patricia, this was her Orwell and he looked about ready to kiss her. Heart racing, she struggled to ignore the strangeness of the situation and didn't move. As much as she wanted to close her eyes and lean into this hypothetical kiss, she couldn't. That didn't stop him from leaning forward though and suddenly their lips met. 

 

That it was a kiss was undeniable. It met all the technical requirements- lips together, two individuals who clearly cared for each other on some level, a private intimate moment on the kitchen floor. She could taste the alcohol on him as he pressed his mouth against hers for several heartbeats. While her eyes remained wide open, his had closed though they fluttered open as he drew back. The two of them stared at each other for a long moment. 

 

"Orwell, what was that?" she asked, stunned and still extremely confused. He quickly leaned back in to apparently try again but this time she was the one who pulled back. Rather than look hurt or offended, he seemed worried and sad.

 

"I'm sorry, I told them it wouldn't work," he sighed and leaned back against the counter. Now he carefully untangled his hands from her grip and brought them up to press against his mouth. The gesture was his usual thoughtful one but Victoria briefly felt a flash of hurt as it also seemed he wished to guard himself against her.

 

Blinking back tears that had appeared unwanted, Victoria asked in a calm and careful voice. "Who?" When he spoke Dennis's name she felt a complicated tension shift within her. Of course Patricia wouldn't have tried to get at her through Orwell, she certainly didn't need the help. Still, it was a relief to know she wasn't behind this. It hurt to feel years of carefully built up fantasies crack and tumble in the span of just a few brief moments. Knowing that Orwell didn't share her feelings was very different than having to face the reality of this failed encounter. She'd wondered for so long what it'd be like to kiss him and now she knew. Briefly she wondered if she could burn out the memory by simply drinking enough alcohol right then and there.

 

Orwell had never been the best at picking up on people's feelings so it was no doubt his own internal distress that caused him to spill out the details of this ridiculous plan rather than her wounded expression. Her irritation towards Dennis mounted as she listened.

 

"So, what? I'd sleep with you and then, what? Patricia would magically leave me alone?" she said with scorn at the such poorly thought out logic. Orwell shifted uncomfortably at that and his head bobbed as it often did when he'd had too much to drink. Normally she'd find it charming, adorable perhaps, but now she felt herself flush with rage. "And I must say I resent the suggestion that you'd need to be drunk to do so!"

 

"I'm- I'm sorry," Orwell stuttered, looking up at her. "We thought it would help. I do want to help you, Victoria. You are my friend, such a good friend." He shook his head as if to clear it. "The best of friends. Dennis seemed so certain this would... would help. I think you're letting Patricia get too close and Dennis suggested that if I..." Here he made an appropriately vague hand gesture in an attempt to spare them both, "You might... not be as easily swayed by her. That you'd keep your distance." He peered at her from behind Dennis's frames but the sad, confused look was all Orwell. "I- I could try again," he offered through the idea clearly discomforted him. "If it'd help. I just don't want you to get hurt."

 

Clasping her hands tightly together, fighting the urge to strangle someone, she brought them to her lips and waited a moment as she struggled to fend off the number of angry words she felt bubbling up within her. "Orwell," she said, for a lack of anywhere better to start. "I... appreciate the thought. I, however, do not appreciate Dennis's efforts to meddle. Or your going along with them. And I'm upset you wouldn't just talk to me about this," she gave him a look and he at least seemed to hang his head, understanding he'd hurt her feelings. "What do you mean, 'get hurt'? I mean, other than I guess the obvious answer of 'the Beast'..."

 

Orwell seemed to shift uncomfortably a bit and clasped his hands between his knees. "Patricia is very interested in you," he started to explain. When Victoria dryly noted that she was aware of this fact, he nodded and continued. "She knows she's supposed to leave you alone but Dennis and Casey are worried she won't. And," Victoria watched as a blush began to creep up his neck. "She can be... so... I agree with Mary and Jade that she might- she might-" He gulped and ducked his head and finished with a whisper. "Hurt you."

 

"Hurt me?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow. "At this point I'm fairly confident she's not going to feed me to the Beast," she muttered and pursed her lips in irritation as Orwell quickly shook his head. "What? Would she hit me?" Victoria felt herself flush as she spoke the words and saw Orwell nod slightly. "That- I- Wh- What makes you say that?"

 

Shaking his head, he seemed to avoid the question. "She's not right for you, Victoria." With his head lowered, he couldn't see her angry look that arose in response to that. "She's... not right. She's not in harmony with... herself, life. Without dharma, we are no different from animals." With another heavy sigh he continued to hang his head. "She was the first to be aware of the Beast, to become so obsessed with him because they are so similar. And while Vātsyāyana describes in his seventh chapter the various ways one may strike a lover in passion while in the act of congress..." Orwell shifted uncomfortably and finally looked up at her. "I don't want her to do that to you."

 

Drawing away from him, she stared at him for a moment in shock. She found herself breathing rapidly, quite familiar with the material he referenced. A not so faint feeling of arousal raced through her. "I-" she started to speak and found herself in the situation of not knowing what to say. "How- She'd never share such things with you," she eventually managed to gasp, "How on earth could you know- think she'd... do... that."

 

Ducking his head again, Orwell stared at his hands. "She... she's said things, when she..." Here he made a gesture and Victoria shook her head in confusion. He repeated it, closer to his hips, and Victoria gulped when she understood what the up and down motion meant. They sat together in silence as Victoria considered this. The warmth that coiled low within her inspired a blush and she looked anywhere but at Orwell.

 

"I think I'd like to speak to Patricia," she said very carefully. Orwell's head jerked up and she pointedly stared at the cupboard across from them. "I don't think I appreciate the rest of you meddling in our business," she added and lifted her chin. 

 

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Orwell started to say but then ducked his head once again as Victoria finally turned to glare at him. There was a moment when she was worried he'd argue with her or, worse yet, involve Dennis once again. Her worries quickly changed in nature when Patricia clearly lifted her head, inhaling deeply. 

 

Rather than immediately pounce on her, Patricia appeared to look about in some confusion. "Is everything all right?" she asked, clearly concerned that they both sat on the floor. She made a move as if to stand but quickly slumped back down. "I appear to be quite dizzy. Am I drunk?" she asked, looking at Victoria in confusion. "Darling, what is going on?"

 

Now that Patricia sat beside her, Victoria wasn't quite sure what to do. Twisting her hands nervously, she stared at her lips and compared the feelings they had inspired in her to those she'd just felt with Orwell. With anyone, really. "Orwell and I had just been having a heart to heart," she said, speaking in a slow and cautious manner. "It seems like Dennis has been putting ideas in his head and I... I'm rather upset with them."

 

Realizing there was no immediate threat, Patricia seemed to relax and one of her smiles spread across her lips. "Oh, poor thing," she murmured, and leaned in close. The two still sat next to each other, backs to the cupboards that ringed the kitchen walls. As usual, a hand came to rest on Victoria's arm. The touch was light and seemed to trace a small pattern there. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything," she breathed, clearly looking far too intently at Victoria's throat. 

 

"No, it's all right," Victoria said, licking her lips nervously. "I- I asked to speak to you." The arousal she'd felt earlier was being fanned into quite a hungry flame under Patricia's attention. Knowing this was probably a bad idea didn't stop her from wanting it. The fact that the others had tried to mettle had just highlighted that the choice was hers alone to make and she might as well make it.

 

"Oh?" Patricia purred, the hand on Victoria's arm drifted further and now rested lightly on her stomach. "Was there something you wanted to talk about, my dear?" She leaned forward now, towards the woman. Half encircling her, Patricia's other hand creeped forward to brush against her thigh.

 

Swallowing thickly, Victoria forced herself to nod. "Yes, I...ah..." Patricia licked her lips and the act was far more sensuous than when Victoria did it. There was no nervousness in Patricia, she realized with an ache, just calm predatory confidence. Victoria longed to feel the same or at least to simply feel it. "I'd been... considering. Your offer." 

 

Patricia inhaled sharply at that and the hand on Victoria's stomach moved up to cup a breast. "Oh!" she gasped and then swallowed as she struggled to continue. "I believe I might be... I..." Patricia had moved now, drawing her legs up under her and knelt, facing Victoria. The hand against her thigh had moved to grip her hip and the other continued to massage her breast through the fabric of her shirt.

 

The liquid heat that pooled within her made Victoria squirm and she let herself get lost in the feeling of the hands upon her. Her own hands fluttered uselessly between the two of them for a while before eventually coming to rest lightly on Patricia's chest. 

 

Though she'd moved her face close to Victoria's, there'd been no kiss. Just rapid breathing by both of them as Patricia held herself mostly in place and allowed her hands to explore. "And what brings about this change of heart?" she eventually asked, lips whispering against Victoria's cheek as she spoke. 

 

Swallowing thickly, Victoria tried to recall exactly what was going on. "Apparently... Orwell.. Orwell tried to seduce me?" Patricia pulled back suddenly, staring at her in mild shock. "In an attempt to help me, ah, resist your charms?" They both glanced down to the hand that had again cupped her breast and Victoria drew a shaky breath. Patricia moved her thumb, grazing a nipple that strained against the fabric in spite of the thin bra she wore.

 

"I see," Patricia breathed. Leaning in, she now pressed a kiss firmly against Victoria's lips. The taste of alcohol was fainter this time and the experience far more exciting. Catching the woman's bottom lip between her teeth, Patricia nipped lightly and gave a gentle tug before she sat back again. "And the alcohol...?" she asked as she shifted, moving forward to now straddle Victoria's legs. 

 

Victoria hummed in a distracted way as she ran her hands up Patricia's chest and encircled her neck in a loose embrace. "I think that was supposed to help him accomplish the job. Dennis's idea, apparently. Maybe Casey's as well?" She bit her lip, unable to take her eyes off of Patricia's mouth and watched as it briefly turned down in a frown. 

 

"I see," she repeated before shaking her head and leaning in for another kiss. Her hands shifted and now they were sliding up under Victoria's shirt, the heat of them driving her almost mad. The two stayed that way for a while, enthusiastic kisses and wandering hands. Once again, to Victoria's immense frustration, Patricia pulled back and gazed down at her. "Say it," she whispered, hand coming up to lightly encircle Victoria's throat. "Say that you want me, that I can have you, that you're mine."

 

The request was worrisome and demanding, even without the additional knowledge of Orwell's concerns, never mind the hand on her neck. Victoria trembled as she drew back slightly, truly contemplating the situation. That Patricia frightened her was undeniable but she had to reluctantly acknowledge that was at least some of the appeal. Never before had Victoria felt so... pursued, so wanted. That Patricia also found her clever, polite, charming, talented, beautiful, and an excellent cook had also been made abundantly clear. The fact she was an excellent kisser now seemed an important criteria to add to Victoria's list of requirements for a partner. She shivered from the strange thrill she felt at the weight of Patricia's hand about her throat.

 

"I... I want you," she whispered, swallowing nervously. "I- I- I don't know if you can h- have me quite yet." There was a faint increase in pressure as the hand about her neck twitched. "Let's... let's just see how th- this goes," she managed to say before Patricia came in for another kiss.

 

"Good enough for now," she murmured against Victoria's lips. Wandering hands became more aggressive and then they were tugging at her, maneuvering her about. The two of them pawed eagerly at each other and Victoria was soon on her back, Patricia braced above her and eagerly dropping kisses wherever she could. For her part, Victoria had managed to grab ahold of Patricia's collar and occasionally pulled her back for a another passionate kiss whenever she wandered too far. 

 

Neither of them heard the sound of someone entering the kitchen and only Victoria appeared to hear the first exclamation of surprise. Realizing they were no longer alone, she tried to push Patricia off her since the kiss they currently exchanged did not allow her to speak. Rather than stop, Patricia moaned in delight at this and moved to pin Victoria's wrists by her head.

 

"Hey!" Blue shouted from behind them, finally getting Patricia's attention. With fumbling and clumsy motions, they managed to untangle from each other and moved to lean against opposite counters. Patricia began to fumble with the top two buttons of her shirt that had come undone at some point and Victoria lifted her head to stare up at the large man. That his gun was drawn was mildly worrisome, but it hung loosely in his hand, pointed at no one.

 

"You ok?" he asked Victoria carefully, holstering the weapon when he noticed her staring at it. "Sorry," he explained, "it was confusing for a second what was going on..." Though her thoughts were still somewhat clouded from everything, she did feel surprised and worried at that. Now that she thought about it, the sight might have been easily misconstrued.

 

"Fine, I'm fine. Perfectly fine, yes, thank you," she breathed, noticing now that her own shirt had been well over half unbuttoned. The distraction of trying to correct this was a welcome one and she ducked her head as she worked. The task proved surprisingly difficult given how her hands suddenly seemed to tremble. Glancing over quickly, she found Patricia now just sitting on the floor with her eyes closed, leaning against the counter, head tipped back. "Patricia may be... a little drunk at the moment though," she offered. "Absolutely Dennis's fault though," she added in her defense. 

 

"I see," Blue said, carefully as he watched Victoria do up her blouse with far too much interest. "Nothing wrong with a drink or two." He glanced over to Patricia when she'd finally finished. "Or with getting friendly... though perhaps the kitchen isn't the best place?"

 

"Absolutely," Victoria hastened to agree, quickly pushing herself to her feet. "And... and now might not be the best time to... continue with our discussion," she said, weakly. There had been a discussion, she tried to assure herself, however brief it may have been before they'd gotten to the kissing and touching part. Blue raised what was presumably a skeptical eyebrow at this and Victoria felt suffocated with the awkwardness of the situation. That her own head spun a bit from the shots she’d consumed wasn’t helping either.

 

Looking down at Patricia who hadn't moved, Victoria felt a flash of guilt. Perhaps she'd taken advantage of the situation, given how inebriated Patricia appeared to be. And to leave her now in this state would no doubt be cruel. Before she could speak, Blue shook his head. 

 

"Why don't you head on back to your room and I'll make sure Patricia here is looked after, yes?" Victoria felt the urge to protest but gave in when she saw Patricia slowly nod her head.

 

 

* * *

 

"Are you all trying to fuck everyone on that floor of yours?" 

 

Patricia snorted, and brought a hand to rest lightly upon her forehead. "As if I'd ever want to touch Casey..." she muttered before finally opening her eyes. There was a momentarily hungry look cast in direction Victoria had gone before she shifted to stare at the man. "Speaking of which, do you think you might be able to... not mention this to her?"

 

Moving to the abandoned bottle and pair of glasses still at the counter, Blue poured himself a drink. "I highly doubt I'm the one you have to worry about gossiping to the girl." Taking a sip, he grimaced. "Dennis has terrible taste in alcohol," he observed, before knocking back the rest of it quickly.

 

Gingerly, she moved her hands to the floor and tried to push herself up off it but immediately thought better of the idea. "I think I'm just going to stay here for a bit," she observed.

 

"You're not going to be sick, are you?" Blue asked suddenly in worry. He was pushing the cap back onto the bottle, apparently satisfied with only one drink.

 

Reconsidering the idea of shaking her head, Patricia just sighed. "No, just very dizzy. And I'm not that drunk, just... dizzy." 

 

"So dizzy that you tripped and fell on the woman? As the two of you were 'discussing' something? Is that what I saw?" Blue returned the bottle to its shelf and selected a different one nearby. "Just want to know because I'm definitely going to have to tell Ms Nagasaki about this. Sorry," he added with a shrug as Patricia glared up at him.

 

She just huffed and looked around the kitchen. "Is any explanation needed? Can't she just... review the footage." Closing her eyes, Patricia blushed at the absolute lack of control demonstrated by all of them. That Victoria had finally agreed to the fact that they should be together was a source of intense joy and pleasure but at the moment it was somewhat masked by the disturbance this no doubt would cause. The kitchen floor hadn't been exactly where and how she'd expected this moment to come about. 

 

Blue leaned back against the counter and looked at her over the glass he raised to his lips. Again he lifted an eyebrow. "But surely you know that this space, behind the counter, isn't covered? Out of all the sigh lines," He explained at her surprised look and took another sip. "You telling me you didn't just happen to know that when you 'tripped'?" With a groan, Patricia rubbed her face and said nothing. "How much exactly did Dennis drink?" Blue asked as he watched her.

 

"I don't know... they tried to keep me from the Light." When Blue seemed surprised at this, Patricia explained the situation, too exasperated to lie. "I think the plan was for Orwell try and seduce her," she ended with, mouth twisted into an intense frown.

 

That provoked a sharp laugh from Blue. "Orwell?" He took another drink and smirked. "I mean, you probably know yourselves better than I do but... I wouldn't have thought that would be a very good plan."

 

* * *

 

Casey knew Patricia was spoiling for a fight when they sat down for the job briefing. That she'd not said anything too out of ordinary during the ensuing discussion just caused her worry to increase and she let herself be dragged into a corner afterwards to be hissed at.

 

"How dare you try and mettle, child!" Patricia whispered fiercely, jabbing a threatening finger at her. "Victoria is mine! Shame on you for putting such lies in Orwell's head!" Casey raised a casual eyebrow.

 

"Lies? I mean, I don't know what Dennis told him, but you're welcome," she said, crossing her arms. Patricia blinked at that and looked confused, causing Casey to roll her eyes. "Did he not talk to you about it?" Casey shook her head and looked around the room to make sure no one was watching, including Max. "Unbelievable." With intense irritation, she explained as roughly as she could what they'd figured out on the trip and Patricia's eyes widened. 

 

"Oh," was all she said and leaned back a bit. Color began to creep into her cheeks but before she could say more Victoria approached, smiling tentatively.

 

"How'd the briefing go?" she asked, tucking her hair behind an ear. She clearly looked quite bashful in regards to Patricia but didn't complain when approached. Patricia wrapped her arms around the woman after handing her the folder they'd been given. She glared at Casey over Victoria's head as the woman flipped through the packet with interest.

 

"Oh! Columbus! I love the university library there," she said with a smile, glancing between the two. "Do- do you think I might be able to come with you? One of the authors I've been reading works there," she hastily explained, "I've used a lot of his insights to fine tune the BFP algorithm." The excuse seemed rather thin to Casey. This was a job, not one of their heroic side gigs or attempts to find others like them. This was work, she tried to explain to Victoria but Patricia quickly shushed her and said that of course the woman could join them. The two were making eyes at each other quite intensely, and Casey thought it best to just walk away at that point.

 

* * *

 

Patricia had spent what little time she had left time wrapped around Victoria it seemed, only releasing the woman when it was Felicia's turn in the Light. She'd stumbled away and several hours later Dennis found himself seated on the sofa. Blinking, he looked around and found himself alone. Looking down revealed a book written in German in his lap and he moved to return it to the shelf. Dennis felt he was being quite generous when he slipped back up to their room and allowed her time to scold him, even though it was his time and could be much better spent.

 

"What were you thinking?" she asked eventually in both exasperation and confusion after railing at him for their 'foolish idea' for several minutes.

 

"Casey acted like it was such a reasonable idea and- no, she did not convince me it was a good idea," he explained quickly before she could protest again. "But it made me realize perhaps... I was wrong to intrude before. And I- I thought perhaps I could make it right."

 

There was a long pause, Patricia pursing their lips so tightly it was hard for either of them to speak for a moment. "How did convincing Orwell to- to try and seduce her help anything? It was a terrible suggestion."

 

"Yes," Dennis observed dryly. "It cleared up any lingering confusion and drove the woman into your arms. A terrible suggestion."

 

There was a long pause before Patricia eventually replied rather defensively, "I assure you it was absolutely unnecessary. I had the entire thing under control.... But I appreciate the thought," she added and they both shared a smile.

 

* * *

 

“I can’t read in the car,” Casey explained, looking out the window. “I’ll get car sick.” Cadence complained about that and Victoria scolded her for being insensitive. She could see Blue’s hands on the steering wheel flex and then grip tighter though he didn’t say anything. When Victoria pointed out Blue couldn’t read the report at the moment either the girl finally caved in with some additional complaining and began to read aloud the information they’d been sent so far. The group had been in the car for five hours and were not too far out from Columbus when a flurry of activity had bombarded everyone’s phones.

 

“I don’t like it,” Dennis muttered after she’d finished, shaking his head and scanning his own phone. “It’s suspicious. I think we should go back.”

 

“We don’t cancel on jobs,” Blue said in a steely voice. “But I don’t like it either.”

 

“It doesn’t matter if you guys like it or not, she made is clear that we’re to check it out,” Cadence twisted in her chair to glare back at everyone in the car except for Max. Casey found it fascinating the way everyone’s gaze skipped over the young man most the time. “We’ve never been able to react this quick to such early signs.”

 

“We barely have anything to go on!” Casey protested. “There’s no way we’re going to find this person, if they’re really even there at all.” They’d packed and started this trip talking about a single day stay to complete the job but now with early warning signs of a ‘Pure’ individual, to use the Beast’s terminology, in the same city things weren’t sounding good. Victoria seemed to bite her lip and stay silent, as if she’d be able to disappear unnoticed like Max. Unfortunately it seemed like it was working, neither Blue or Cadence seeming to care she tagged along for the job.

 

“We do the work,” Blue said, speaking in a rare demonstration of authority. “But then we split up, look around the city. We need to find them before they know we're here.”

 

“Why?” Casey asked

 

“The timing is suspicious. They probably know we’re coming. And when someone knows we’re coming… Usually they run... and if they're not running, they're stalking us.” There was an uneasy silence in the car after that.

 

“Well, you know, we could always just detonate a couple bombs downtown and see who survives?” Cadence muttered from the front seat.

 

“Or comes after us,” Blue added, and they both seem to almost... giggle.

 

“I don't see how domestic terrorism is funny,” Victoria commented, apparently unable to actually stay silent that long. “A lot of innocent people-”

 

“It's not about the people,” Cadence interrupted, sounding once again exasperated with the woman. “It's funny because it's effective. Like... Obviously clearing the field is the best way to find who we're looking for. Or, you know, putting ourselves out there and drawing enough attention till they come to us. It's the beauty of the solution.”  She sighed, sounding a little caught up with the idea of it. 

 

“Well I don't see the humor of it,” Victoria muttered.

 

“The humor is that we don't work that way,” Blue explained, looking back in the rear view mirror. “That we do so much else when the answer is so simple.” He flexed his hands on the wheel again. “We laugh because what else can we do.”  There was a heavy silence in the car as they all apparently considered the other options.

 

* * *

 

"Aw, come on, man. You've got to be shitting me," Cadence complained as Blue handed Dennis two small packets containing a pair of key cards each. 

 

Blue shrugged. "I already spent most this month's budget on the last trip." Cadence groaned and Casey blushed, looking off to the side. Victoria jumped in fright when Max, who apparently had been standing next to her, reached out to tug on Blue's sleeve. The man seemed to twitch in surprise as well and then glanced down at his key card before looking back up to scowl at Max. "You were supposed to remind me," he muttered, sounding irritated. "Come on, we need to change the room. I'm not sharing a bed with you, even if I wouldn't notice you there." As the two moved back towards the desk she heard him scold the young man further to not disappear again before they'd reached their room. 

 

Turning back to the rest of the group, Victoria could feel the unease seething amongst them. "I'll room with Cadence," she murmured, not looking forward to enduring the constant bards the girl dropped but knowing it was the most diplomatic solution available.

 

"That's hardly fair," Patricia suddenly interjected. "Dennis and Casey had three nights together, I think it's-" she was cut off by Casey's protests and refusal to spend four nights in the company of Cadence. Dennis also had a couple things to say in regards to that and the whole thing devolved into quite a lively discussion.

 

It was Barry who resolved it. "Ok people," he said loudly, giving the three women a stern look. "We're here on business, not pleasure." He handed Cadence one of the room key packets. "Just take it and begone," he commanded rather dramatically. "We'll figure it out. Remember, we don't need to sleep," he said, emphasizing the word, "and there is no way you two are disrupting the schedule that much while we're here." There was a pause and Victoria realized the comment was not meant for her or Casey. The girl huffed and looked away while Victoria smiled at him, sad to miss out on the chance to be alone with Patricia again but relieved at least to not be stuck with Cadence.

 

Casey dropped onto one of the beds with a dramatic sigh when they reached their room. Barry and Victoria exchanged a look and settled their baggage about the space. Checking her phone, Casey announced it was almost time for dinner and Barry suggested the two women eat on their own. Feeling there was a hint in there, Victoria shepherded the girl out not long after and they settled at a rather nondescript restaurant not too far away.

 

"Is this going to be weird?" Casey asked, leaning forward over the table.

 

Scanning the menu she held, Victoria started to say, "The reviews said-"

 

"Victoria," Casey cut her off and the woman fidgeted with the menu, keeping her eyes down. "Don't do that thing. You know what I'm asking."

 

"Are you asking about just the hotel room or..." Victoria knew the discussion was bound to come up but had hoped Casey would have waited for a slightly less public space to initiate it. Casey gave her a look. "Is it 'weird' with you and Joseph?" she asked almost defensively.

 

Casey opened her mouth but then paused as their waiter arrived. "I.. haven't really talked to him about it," Casey confessed after the man left with their order. "Barry and the others and I.. we don't talk much. So it's been easy to, ah, overlook." At Victoria's confused look Casey added, "Dennis and Patricia are... friends. More so. And, ah, given the work the company has been assigning us I, um, sort if interact with her a bit more. And you're my friend." There was a pause and Casey quickly added, "Do you even know what we do when we're on a job? Has Patricia told you? I still can't believe you'd hook up with her."

 

Victoria felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. "We are- I haven't-" she cleared her throat and tried again. "Patricia and I are still working that out. And no, she does not tell me, and no, I do not ask. I know where Cadence keeps the debrief files and I have pointedly not looked into them. I understand in abstract enough of what you do and have desire to know the details."

 

"How can you possibly be ok with her!?" Casey asked, leaning in and dropping her voice to a dramatic whisper. "She is seriously crazy."

 

Stalling by taking a sip of water, Victoria tried her best. "Casey, I thought we talked about this. She is very kind to me, and I appreciate that. As for her behavior... that's just the way she is, I've learned to accept that by now. We all have our own different standards of what's acceptable behavior. Why, if I waited for everyone in the world who I thought was rude to me to apologize, I'd be... very lonely. Not many people seem to know how to behave." She paused and glanced at Casey. "I appreciate how polite she can be." It was on the tip of her tongue to point out that Casey shouldn't perhaps be so quick to cast aspersions given her own checkered past. The girl had confessed to killing her uncle and Victoria could still vividly recall how their escape from the hospital had gone. Instead she just took another sip of water and remained silent.

 

"It sounded like things didn't go well with Orwell?" Casey asked and then looked surprised at the angry look Victoria shot her. "Ok ok, sorry, sensitive subject. But you do know you'll probably need... someone?" Victoria blinked in surprise at that and Casey awkwardly explained further, dropping her voice again to a whisper. "You know, to keep the Beast from... taking advantage of any... um... openings? Like what happened after that job last week? Except, you know, in-"

 

"Oh dear," Victoria gasped and Casey seemed happy to not elaborate further. The was a period of silence at this as Victoria struggled to remain calm and composed in the face of what she considered to be horrifying news. While she certainly had contemplated some aspects, perhaps many aspects, of what it might be like to enjoy the company of Orwell or even Patricia, she apparently hadn't consider all of them. Their food arrived just as a thought occurred to her. "Did... how...?" Casey looked up from the dish she was about to dig into. Victoria gulped and struggled to get up the nerve to ask, managing only "Did he?"

 

Casey nodded, far more nonchalantly that Victoria would have expected. "Yes but.. it was, ah... not that bad." The girl blushed at that, but there was a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

 

"Not that bad?" Victoria repeated, absolutely scandalized. She leaned over her plate and stared at Casey wide eyed. The girl had picked up her fork and pushed some of the food around on her plate.

 

"Well, I mean, I wouldn't really recommend it. For you. Because, you know-" she gestured with the utensil. "But, um, he likes me." The girl was definitely smiling now, looking down at her plate before taking a bite. When she glanced back up she gave Victoria an innocent look.

 

"Dennis?" Victoria asked, once again finding herself swept up in the gossip of her friend's love lives. That it possibly tangled with her own and that she might actually possess one herself were shockingly new additions to the equation that she momentarily overlooked.

 

With a snort, Casey shook her head and took another bite. She wore a positively fiendish grin as she smirked and politely chewed before responding. "You know Dennis and Patricia practically worship the Beast," she said in what Victoria found to be a maddeningly ambiguous response. "They're... very different. If, ah, you know what I mean." There was a salacious eyebrow wiggle that accompanied that statement, which Victoria found somewhat inappropriate for a girl her age.

 

"Well obviously," she muttered, finally picking up her own fork. "I mean, when you consider how-" realizing what she'd been about to say, she quickly closed her mouth. Casey looked at her inquisitively and Victoria shoved a bite of food in her mouth to prevent anything else stupid from slipping out. 

 

"Obviously?" Casey asked, tipping her head to the side. "Obviously? Anything else that's 'obvious' you think I should know?" Victoria compressed her lips and quickly shook her head. It was bad enough Patricia and Orwell had read her various notes speculating on their sexual habits and the whimsical conclusions she'd drawn. Wine, research, and time were a dangerous combination for anyone, she was sure. Floundering, Victoria asked more about their job tomorrow and the girl let the obvious redirection guide them to safer waters.

 

* * *

 

It was rather hard being a detective, Casey realized as she leaned against the storefront window, waiting for Cadence to emerge. A couple walked past her, arm in arm, and she struggled not to look guilty. Perhaps detective wasn't the right word... they didn't have badges they could flash to make these people talk to them. More like... private investigators. At some point she was going to need to learn to lie the way Cadence did through an introduction and cover story. Eventually the girl joined her on the street and shook her head before Casey could ask.

 

"They've convinced themselves it was just some angry customer chucking fruit at everyone," she muttered. "And the idiot seems to have gone out of their way to forget any and every detail about the day or anyone who was there."

 

Casey shook her head, not surprised in the least. "This sucks," she muttered. "I like the security jobs better. Those at least are straightforward. How do you guys ever find anyone?" She asked. It was their second day in the city but Casey understood now why Blue had booked their rooms for so long. "I thought Nashville was a screw up but this seems even more iffy. At least there we had a name, even if we couldn't find them..."

 

With a snort Cadence guided them towards their next stop. "Quitter much?" She teased before glaring at some pedestrian who dared to walk too close to them. "It normally goes like this," she continued in a lower voice. "There's a reason why we have so few people despite how hard we look...." Another glare at another random passerby had Casey wondering about the girl. While she could certainly put on an act to extract information she radiated 'crazy person' with her muttering and glares. 

 

"You... you found us," Casey pointed out. "Twice."

 

"Yeah, because you guys' photos were all over the news. This job is way easier if you know exactly who you're looking for and what they look like."

 

* * *

 

Patricia felt unease with the sea of young new college freshman swirling around her. She didn't need the Beast's senses to know they were within arms reach of so many Impure. Far, far too many Impure. 

 

"I just love college campuses, don't you?" Victoria asked in such excitement that Patricia worried she might skip away in delight and leave Patricia just standing there.

 

"I can't say I exactly share the opinion... academia was never my strong suit." She turned to observe a small gaggle of young women laughing together as Victoria dragged her along. That the woman had happily grabbed her arm the moment they’d stepped onto campus was the one good thing so far today and it helped Patricia maintain her calm. "You're sure you know where you're going? We really don't have that much time..." she said, trying not to second guess her decision to bring Victoria along and indulge in this visit.

 

"I told you, I'm quite fine meeting with Professor Ekwensi myself." Victoria squinted at a building plague, checked the paper in her hands, and then headed with purpose in a slightly different direction. "You'll be quite bored, I'm certain." Patricia caught that she seemed ready to say more but had swallowed the words. The suggestion that Orwell be present was obvious and hung between them but Patricia appreciated Victoria's attempts to make it clear she valued Patricia's company. That they'd not really had time alone to discuss further certain issues was a thorn in both their sides and one she hoped to amend very soon.

 

Victoria dragged her into an unremarkable campus building and then down a flight of stairs, repeatedly glancing back over her shoulder at Patricia to offer an encouraging smile. They reached a door with a simple little placard that read 'Kennith B. Ekwensi, PhD'. Looking back at her again, Victoria licked her lips and seemed to finally grow just a tiny bit nervous. 

 

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled to talk to you," Patricia murmured, taking the opportunity to stroke the woman's hair and give her a light kiss on the head. With a nod, Victoria went into the office but emerged less than a minute later.

 

"Apparently he went to the library," she said with a shrug and they again navigated through a series of maze like corridors. "These smaller departments," Victoria explained, "the funding can be so tight, but I think there's a certain charm to the smaller corners of academia. When you take away large corporate money, you just have passion driving the work, you know?" Patricia made a vague sound of agreement, frowning at the number of empty offices and outdated posters curling from the walls. The parapsychology department looked so under funded it reminded her of some of the warehouses they'd hid in while hunting the Impure. Patricia shook her head sharply. She was certain thinking about hunting the Impure was not a productive thought to be having right now.

 

When Victoria stopped before a shabby pair of double doors, one adorned with a peeling sticker that read "library" on it, she again looked back at Patricia. "Why don't you wait out here for a second? He specializes in, you know, research into the unnatural so I imagine he might be familiar with, ah, you. What you look like, that is. And he might get-"

 

Patricia patted the woman's hands, raised them to her lips for a kiss, and then released them. "Go talk to your professor, darling. I'll wait right here for a bit, you fetch me when you think it'll be ok," she assured her. In truth Patricia was thankful for the moment alone. With great effort she made sure the Beast was far, far from the Light. The last thing she needed right now was for him to leap out and begin hunting just because something startled her or, worse yet, he saw something tasty.

 

After about fifteen minutes Patricia let out a heavy sigh. She should have expected this. Without any guidance, Victoria often let her obsession with the academic get the better of her and she lost track of time and all responsibilities. This was exactly why Patricia knew she'd needed to accompany the woman. Knocking on the doors, she pushed through carefully. "Victoria...?" she said in a cautious voice, not wanting to spook anyone. Frowning, she heard no voices and moved further into the seemingly empty library. Perhaps they were reading together? Patricia’s frown deepened at that thought. Victoria had shown her a picture of the man, certainly hansom enough and with such shared interests between the two she suddenly wondered if there was anything to worry about. 

 

And so, when the shot came from behind, dart striking her in the back of the neck and then another in her shoulder, she was perhaps not the most prepared to handle the situation.

 

* * *

 

Casey hung up and glared at her phone in frustration. "They're probably fucking," she muttered and Cadence snorted at that. Sighing heavily, she shoved her phone in her pocket and indicated that they should just continue with their current investigation of yet another minor breadcrumb.

 

As they climbed the stairs, Cadence glanced over at her. "You're surprisingly cool about it," she observed and Casey just shrugged.

 

"Sure. I mean, I practically set it up," she said with a mild note of pride. Victoria was very nice and clearly good at finding certain things, but the woman had needed a bit of help when it came to her love life. 

 

Cadence continued to give her a confused look. "Don't you care?" she asked as they reached the third floor of the apartment complex. 

 

"Not really. I mean, Patricia is going to have her time in the Light according to the schedule no matter what. Now at least maybe she'll be less of a bitch? And hey, it's better for me," Casey explained. "Maybe the others will try to spy on someone else for a change." There was a nervous laugh from Cadence at this and Casey was again reminded that the girl was rather weird. It felt a little off not to be the strangest girl of the group these days. "My only complaint is that they aren't helping us with this stupid work," she added. "Who are we talking to again?"

 

"Somebody's neighbor," Cadence recited, leading them down the hallway. "They reported a noise disturbance that the algorithm flagged as possible power involvement."

 

"And how will we know if it is or isn't the person we're looking for?"

 

Cadence shrugged. "You know when you know... It's, like, you keep finding pieces till eventually enough of them click in place and you've found your person."

 

With an irritated sigh she went and knocked on the apartment door. She let Cadence explain how they were roommates from upstairs who wanted to know if they too had been having any weird noise issues. The man was only too happy to rant about his neighbor and her boyfriend. What could have come across as just an unfortunate domestic dispute definitely started sounding unnatural when he angrily explained the details. Cadence asked for a name he was all too eager to further spread accusations. Jasmine Fellows and Kennith Ekwensi.

 

"Wait a minute," Casey said, looking over suddenly to Cadence.

 

* * *

 

The man stared down at the figure at his feet and then up at his partner. “Holy shit,” he said and then shot the fallen Horde twice more. “Jimmy, holy shit. Do you know who that is?!” 

 

Wandering over, still gingerly feeling the growing lump on his head from the book that had struck it, the second man shrugged. “Is it someone famous? I don’t fucking care, we’ve already got an extra body, I don’t- Holy shit!”  he cried, pulling his gun from his coat as his partner rolled the Horde over onto their back.

 

“I think he was here here with the woman,” the first man muttered, nudging the limp form with the toe of his boot. “You didn’t kill her did you?”

 

“I don’t think so- damnit, let me go check,” he muttered and headed towards the corner where he’d left her. The first man crouched down next to the Horde and nudged their hand with the muzzle of the gun. “Yeah, she’s still breathing,” the other man called from behind the stacks. 

 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” the man whispered to the unconscious Horde before calling out, “Have Davis and his people check out the guy’s house, maybe they teamed up?” He felt a chill run up his spine at that. Nothing gave him the heebie-jeebies more than the thought of freaks like this working together against humanity.

 

* * *

 

There'd been nothing when they went to the man's office. No sign of a struggle, but also no sign of him, Victoria, or Patricia. It was when they went to check out his apartment, meeting up with Blue and Max along the way, that they found trouble.

 

Cadence opened the door in near absolute silence, Casey having already informed them of four men frantically digging through various boxes and drawers, and everyone silently slipped in. While it wasn’t the same apartment building they’d visited before, the walls were thin and they didn’t want any attention. It didn’t take long for the burglars to notice them but it also didn’t take long, or much effort, for them to be dealt with.

 

It seemed Blue had selected at random which guy to keep for interrogation. Casey questioned the wisdom in that- what if only one of them had known the facts? What if he’d grabbed the wrong man? Her worry seemed to prove true as Blue’s initial demand for information were met with silence. 

 

"Where are they?" he repeated, adjusting his grip on the man's neck. The burglar just glared at him from the ground but narrowed eyes suddenly bulged and he started thrashing below the massive form of Blue.

 

Casey sucked in a quick breath as a web of dark lines began to form over the man's face. It took her a moment as the lines began to swell and continued to crawl across his cheeks and down his neck before she realized that what she was seeing were blood vessels under his skin. If she hadn't figured it out yet, it would have become more obvious as the first burst, a large gash forming across his cheek and spilling a fountain of blood down and over Blue's hands. 

 

"Fuck," Cadence muttered, turning away. "I like Patricia's approach better." Casey managed to tear her eyes away, stomach churning as the man began to scream behind the hand Blue hand clamped over his mouth.  She looked to Cadence. The comment had sounded flippant but the young woman was clearly distressed and looked as upset as Casey felt when they exchanged a brief glance. She moved to begin searching the bodies and Casey wandered over to the desk. In the back of her head she knew there was likely useful information here, or at least papers Victoria would no doubt want to read but her fingers felt cold and nerveless as she weakly shuffled through them.

 

There was the sound of heels drumming on the floor and more wet noises as Casey tightly coiled her Sight closer to herself, not want to see what was going on. She found Max staring at the scene behind her and she moved to grip his shoulders. Giving him a shake, she managed to break his daze and she shook her head when he gave her a frightened look.

 

"We need to know what happened to Dennis and Victoria," she explained to Max and herself. She could hear Blue repeat his question and when he didn't like the response the sounds continued. The horror that she felt was was eclipsed only by the knowledge that the information gained by it would help. That they just needed to know where the two were and that everything would be better. Everything would then be ok.

 

* * *

 

When the initial information had reached the warehouse, things had been very tense. Joseph had immediately started weeping and exclaiming that they needed to go rescue the two right away. The little kid had started crying right along with him, something David had yet to see in their months there, and that seemed to set Ms Nagaskaki over the edge. Her attempts to assure them something would be done were thin, her suggestion they wait until the others return before making any rash plans was obviously her intended action. A stern look around the room suggested the others should follow suite and do nothing.

 

Joseph seemed to distract himself with the need to take care of the sobbing child, the two settling on the couch to wait, while Elijah had calmly invited David back to his room for another game of go.

 

They'd barely settled down to the board when the first ping on Elijah's phone came through. Despite what Ms Nagaskaki had said, Cadence appeared to be thinking quite a number of things through, as well as digging up all the information she could on the situation and sending it through to her friend Mr Glass.

 

The discussion over the board had been worded entirely as a series of hypotheticals, of course. David hadn't been able to admit to himself initially he was going to go through with it. In between comments about building security and the different type of ordnance the warehouse kept stocked, Elijah dropped helpful hints in regards to their play. David was irritated that twice he was interrupted by Elijah suggesting he not place the stone he held where he'd intended to. When the man started to go on another long tangent about eyes, David realized he’d had enough.

 

“Elijah, we’re talking about-” he caught himself and then realized he couldn’t find a better word “-about our friends. Forget the stupid game.”

 

“David, it’s all game,” had been Elijah’s cryptic reply. 

 

Despite Elijah’s insistence that they actually play an honest game of go, they had at least spent their time wisely. They'd put their heads together and the plan had just pooled out naturally over the board. Somehow Elijah had managed to time it just right so that he placed the final stupid stone that closed the ring surrounded all his pieces just as the group arrived. Hearing the noise below, David stood up and waited for the man to join him. Elijah tried to point out he’d done a good job, that not all his pieces were taken this time, but David just hustled him out of the room as fast as he could.  

 

Resisting the urge to head down the steps alone, David joined Elijah in the elevator to the first floor. He didn’t want to give the impression that they were panicked. They were going to respond, but it was going to be measured and well thought out. None of this rushing about blindly.

 

When the elevator doors opened, it of course revealed a disaster. The girl wasn't in tears, but she might have well been. She of course had headed straight to Ms Nagaskaki, cursing and swearing. Joseph was right beside her, glaring daggers at the woman and Jeff glowered at his side. There was definitely a sharp, static charge to the air and David heard an occasional crack coming from the child. 

 

“We have to go get them right now!” Casey was in the process of repeating herself as David and Elijah approached. “We've wasted enough time coming all the way back here. We need to go! Now!”

 

Ms Nagaskaki made calming hand gestures and spoke in a soothing voice. “We need to think,” she countered with. “We don't know what to expect. We need to act rationally and-”

 

“I have the schematics of the city approved floor plan,” Cadence said, coming up to stand next to Casey. “There's good reason to think they've been heavily modified, I found a number of contract bids throughout the years for onsite construction projects, but it's a good starting place.” The girl shoved her hands in her pockets. “Also running the system on the traffic cameras and already have a highly likely early contender for the vehicle they’re driving. Only needs another twenty minutes or so to finish processing.” Ms Nagaskaki frowned at this and eyed both the young women. 

 

“You need to sleep,” Mr Glass said, and Casey whipped around to glare at him. “You might be a perfect shot right now but you’re not the Horde- your skills will degrade if you don’t sleep. I have some pills to help. If you go down now, you’ll probably only need a couple hours and then you’ll be ready to head out before sun up.” The rage in the girl’s expression evaporated at that and she blinked a couple times.

 

“I need to sleep at least,” David explained. “And I can’t sleep in a car. Cadence needs to run her scripts and try to collect more information based on what she finds. Casey, we’re going to get them but we can’t go right now.” The girl turned towards him now and blinked twice more. 

 

“You’re- You’re going to help?” she asked in a small voice. David felt a stab of discomfort at the question. Glancing at Joseph, he saw surprise in his son’s expression. He frowned, surely they didn’t think him that heartless?

 

“Of course I’m going to help,” David muttered, feeling almost self conscious. “I sort of owe them one, at the very least…” Casey glanced about the room.

 

“I already said I was in,” Cadence said in an offhand way, and then looked intently at the phone in her hands, avoiding Ms Nagasaki’s look. When Blue voiced that he was as well, everyone but the child turned towards him in surprise. He just shrugged.

 

“David and I have some ideas,” Mr Glass said, giving the girl a sympathetic look. “I can’t really… join you, but it’s the best I can offer.” 

 

Cadence snorted at that. “Well then we’re all said,” she said.

 

* * *

 

Though it enraged her, Ellie wasn't surprised that she was one of the last to know they'd recaptured the Horde. She tried to hold onto the delight in having her favorite subject returned to her but it was hard with the company representative in the room and her guard holding her back by an elbow, as if she were some child to be restrained in the presence of a respectable adult.

 

It was true that Dr Staple itched to approach the subject again, to see if she could figure out who currently dreamed by sight alone and to perhaps take another blood draw to see if she could verify. She licked her lips and glanced about the room these new patients were lined up in, wondering if these drawers would be appropriately stocked with equipment. For the excessive money and force the Blacktree corporation thew around, they ran a surprisingly shoddy research facility and had soundly rejected all of her attempts and suggestions to improve the situation.

 

Mr Young currently leaned over the Horde, gripping their slack jaw and occasionally turning their head one way and then another. Ellie couldn't fault him for that, she personally found touching the extraordinary individuals invigorating and tempting. To have such a tactile reminder that such creatures existed was one of the few thrilling but dangerous perks to her work. At the hospital she'd never been able to do so freely, worried by David's powers and potential violence by the Horde, not to mention basic legal and medical restrictions. But here there were no such rules or restrictions.  

 

Tearing her eyes away from the two, she glanced over at her other reward. Kennith, now apparently a 'professor' lay on the gurney next to the Horde. She tried to move towards him but the grip on her elbow prevented that as well. She couldn't wait to look him in the eye and tell him how right she'd been. How pathetic his work was. How not only was she leading the research project, but that he was now the research project. He'd had better access to these strange powers than she did, possessing them himself, and he'd been unable to land a paper in a respectable publication these the last ten years. Absolutely pathetic. And speaking of pathetic, she was surprised to see what looked to be Victoria Varati laid out on the last gurney.

 

"What's she doing here?" Ellie blurted out when she finally convinced herself that it really was the woman. "We already asserted she's not one of them." The grip on her arm tightened and the guard glared at her. Mr Young stood up however, releasing the Horde, and turned to face her.

 

"It's the Varati woman from your reports, yes?" he asked and glared at her. She shrank back a bit at the look, worried that once again he'd find fault in her work new or old. Nodding hastily, she hoped he'd keep his temper though she'd no idea what currently provoked his rage. They had not one but two new subjects, everyone at the facility should be thrilled. Instead, he turned and glared back down at the Horde.

 

"I want to speak to them both when they wake up."

 

* * *

 

The doctor had overseen them both dragged to the same room. Victoria was of course pleased to see that it was Patricia in the Light, it was good to know they were trying their best to be alert and ready. When she realized they were in the hands of Dr Staple, she’d fretted that it'd be Dennis and in one of his pouts. The last thing they needed right now was a sulk. There was definitely a way out of here, they just had to keep level heads. Currently she sat tied to a seat next to Patricia who was similarly, though more thoroughly, shackled to a chair in the middle of what looked to be a classic doctor's office, equipped with an actual Dr Staple. The woman sat on a stool nearby, apparently waiting after having thrown a pen at Victoria when she’d tried to ask what was going on.

 

After a while, the door opened and several guards filed in. Behind them came an older gentleman, Asian and well dressed in a business formal sort of way. He walked at an easy pace to the center of the room. Leaning forward, he looked Patricia up and down quite intensely. With a sneer, he stepped ever so slightly forward before turning sharply to walk over to a counter and lean back against it. Folding his arms over his chest, he glared at Patricia. "Where is my son?"

 

"Excuse me?" she asked, blinking in surprise. A jolt went through Victoria.

 

"My son," he repeated, seething. "Jeffrey Young."

 

There was a long pause. Patricia clearly struggled for a moment before Hedwig screamed an obscenity at the man. He lunged forward and began to thrash and kick. "You're a bad man!" he shrieked, struggling against the bonds that held him. Victoria drew a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning away from the violence next to her. It seemed like this was going to go very badly. Hedwig proceeded to howl and and yell at the man, hurling back hate for ever offense his friend Jeff had revealed to him. Eventually, as he drew a deep struggling breath mid-sentence his voice hitched and he faltered.

 

"Hedwig, you need to calm down," Patricia whispered. Eyes closed, it was a long moment before Patricia clearly exhaled, their figure relaxing into her more feminine posture. Tipping her head to the side, she observed the man from under hooded lids. "So you're Jeff's father? Interesting."

 

"Where is my son," he repeated, voice trembling with what sounded like rage and disgust.

 

"Safe. Far away. We'll never tell you, I assure you." The man's hand cracked across her face and several of the guards leapt forward, along with the doctor.

 

"Mr Young! Please! The transition can happen quite rapidly, you could lose a hand if you're not careful," the doctor gasped, looking fearful. "I've warned you, the patient can be very cunning."

 

Patricia worked her jaw and smirked. "I hadn't thought of that, Doctor. Thank you for the suggestion." The woman paled and glanced at the glaring Mr Young.

 

"I know where my son is," he said, "or at least has been. He's been with you. Ever since you killed and ate his nanny. You've been keeping him from me. Having him send me postcards. Thinking you could, what? Taunt me?!?" Victoria closed her eyes, knowing full well she'd helped Jeff sneak mail out of the warehouse. Though she'd not read any of it, she'd assumed there couldn't possibly be any harm in it.

 

"Well," he continued, folding his arms over his chest again. "I just wanted to share some taunting of my own with you now. This lady, right here?" he nodded to Victoria. "I hear you're good friends with her. All of... the psychotic yous in there. Or enough of them." The doctor opened her mouth but he made a disgusted sound, waving her away. "Doesn't matter. Enough of you that it I hope it hurts when I let you know I'm handing her over to the doctor. See, science, it needs a control. A good experiment has, you know, a base line. You've got to measure responses relative to the baseline. Ellie here, she's been asking me for one-"

 

"That is not what-" the doctor started to say but then immediately fell silent at the look he shot her.

 

"She's going to go through the same trials," he said in a commanding way, and the doctor just sighed. He stared hard at Patricia. "I just wanted you to know," he said with a smile. "You've been keeping my son from me. Letting your... nine year old mental self spend time with him? How am I not to be disturbed by this? To think the worst of you? What kind of sicko kidnaps a kid and then runs off to live with him? Hmmm?"

 

"Dr Staple, what sort of nonsense have you been feeding this man?" Patricia asked, clearly seething with rage but somehow managing a light tone of voice. The doctor sighed and looked at the ground, clearly embarrassed.

 

"Mr Young, I told you," she started to say and then immediately fell silent when the man pointed at her.

 

"It doesn't matter," he said, turning to stare at Patricia again. "I know you'll just deny it. I just wanted to make sure you knew how I personally felt. But my feelings have nothing to do with what's going to happen to you here. See, Staple here has been employed by us to continue her research." He glance back to the woman again briefly, frowning. "It's difficult to find test subjects like you so I want you to understand I can't pull any 'political strings' to have my own personal, petty revenge directly. But I'm doing my best, signing your friend up for what's normally reserved for test subjects like yourself here. And I wanted you to know that every horrible thing that's going to happen to you here? I'm grateful for it. And I'm going to get my son back, don't worry."

 

Patricia drew back her head, eyes widening as the man continued to stare at her in disgust. There was a long silence before he turned and strode out of the room. With his departure and that of the surrounding guards, there was a slight lessening of tension.  Patricia swallowed and looked around the room somewhat in shock. "He actually believes that-"

 

Dr Staple cleared her throat. "I shared with him all my reports, I assure you. I absolutely agree that Hedwig would never-" She paused and drew a breath. "I promise you, I did not put that idea in his head, nor encourage it."

 

Victoria blinked and looked between the two. "Patricia, don't be dense. Lots of people think Hedwig is... weird. Goodness, the public has said far worse about you. Focus! What I want to know is what's going on here?" Dr Staple rolled her eyes and stood but before she could speak Victoria asked "Why aren't you a doctor?" The question was apparently bizarre enough for both Patricia and Dr Staple to look at her in confusion. "He used quite a disrespectful tone and didn't give you your title. Seems very impolite and... you're not the type to tolerate that. Please, Doctor. What's really going on here? Are you... are you really working for these people?"

 

Drawing a sharp breath, the woman quickly glanced to Patricia and then back to Victoria. "Of- Of course I am." She took a step back, looking unsettled. "They have given me full reign. Absolute freedom in my work. What more could I want?"

 

Patricia's lip twitched. "I think little Victoria is suggesting we help you out of here. How adorable." The doctor looked truly unease at that and took a step back, blinking. "She does have a point. If you let me out, I'm quite certain we could all three escape." Patricia raised an eyebrow in Victoria's direction. "That's what you're suggesting, right? That if we work together, we can all get out." She turned and looked at the doctor, pursing her lips for a moment. "But we won't, will we? We'll bicker and fight and not trust each other and both be the worse for it, won't we?"

 

Shaking her head, the doctor fumbled for the door handle. She paused for a moment before opening it. "I'm not as bad off as you think I am," she said. "I have you to research. That's enough for me." With that she ducked her head and stepped out of the room, guards quickly coming in to replace her and drag the two to their separate rooms.

 

* * *

 

Casey pulled the rifle from the cabinet and blinked back tears. She remembered expressing delight at the chance to use it and she remembered Dennis's response, the thoughts twisting now together along with the worry for his safety, nearly making her sick. There was no joy in selecting the pistols she'd take with her and she bit her lip as Cadence helped her pick out and try on one of the more elaborate holsters with which to carry her selections. 

 

"They'll be fine," Mr Glass observed from where he sat near the entrance of the room. David glanced up at the man when he spoke and then over to Casey, his expression unreadable. He'd reluctantly taken a handgun at Blue's insistence, the same type she'd instructed Dennis with, she couldn't help but note. Frustrated with herself, she scrubbed at her eyes and tried to remain as cool and collected as everyone else in the room seemed to be.

 

"Dennis knows how to handle himself," David offered, surprising her by speaking at all as he pulled on some of Blue's light body armor. "And I'm sure Patricia wouldn't let anything happen to Victoria." Casey jerked her head in a nod. She'd been telling herself that, repeatedly, but it was still nice to hear someone else voice such thoughts.

 

"They'll have only been there for a day or two by the time you reach them," Elijah said. "I'm certain nothing too bad would happen so... soon." He and David exchanged another glance.

 

After they finished adorning themselves with their various, nearly excessive equipment and weapons, they headed back out of the room. Cadence hung back, whispering something to Mr Glass as Casey, Blue, and David approached the waiting Ms Nagaskaki. Though no one else glanced at him, Max lurked back several places, looking frightened and sad. Casey felt no hard feelings towards the young man for not wanting to join in with them though she was certain they could use his help. She was sad Jeff wasn't here to see them off but agreed with Ms Nagasaki's decision to lock him in his room. He'd been so adamant in wanting to join them, to help save Hedwig, that she too thought him likely do something foolish like sneak into the car.

 

Blue and Ms Nagaskaki shared a long, significant look before she held out her hand. He reached out to grip it, briefly it seemed, but wound up holding her hand till Cadence joined them, Mr Glass rolling up beside her.

 

"I still think we should bring him with us," Cadence said suddenly, jerking her head towards Mr Glass. "You know, in case we need to blow anything up." There was a huff from Blue of suppressed laughter and Elijah just rolled his eyes, the joke though dumb managed to loosen everyone up a bit. Casey pressed her lips together, thankful that so many of the team were willing to go with her but still worried about how it would end. 

 

Pulling his hands back to tuck into his pockets, Blue just nodded and stood there for a moment. Joseph was nowhere in sight and Casey assumed he and his father had had their emotional goodbyes out of sight of the group. She'd had her own parting with the man, an awkward experience that was both the first real acknowledgement of their strange shared situation and a painful framing of how little he could do to help. He'd bounced between begging for her to be successful, as if she didn't have enough motivation of her own, and assuring her he had faith in her and his father's ability to bring Barry safely back to him.

 

"I have a good feeling about this," Mr Glass said and David just raised an eyebrow. Given that no one else had anything else to add, the four of them headed out.

 

* * *

 

Application of theory had always been her weakness. It's why she'd failed out of so many different colleges, one after another. It was just so easy to soak everything in... and then just never apply it. It's not that she forgot, she just... could never quite carry through correctly. Or so it had seemed in the past.

 

She didn't know how long it took someone to pick a lock with a paperclip, but she'd managed it and it'd only taken twenty or so minutes. From the diagrams in the books she struggled to recall it had always looked simple. She was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to take more then ten, that much seemed certain. It didn't matter though. What mattered was that the doctor's ongoing love of throwing things at Victoria these past two days had already paid off.

 

What had seemed to be a petty outburst on her behalf during the hospital escape appeared to be an ongoing problem for the woman, several times now chucking things at Victoria in the passing moments when it was just the two or three of them in a room. The doctor was clearly unhappy about a number of things and seemed to express herself with childish habits that included the occasional slap or shove in addition to angrily thrown papers, pens, and whatever else the doctor held when the mood struck her. This time it had been a report she'd been frustrated with. 

 

Victoria couldn't tell if it was a good or bad sign that it was Dennis with her at the moment. Given that he already sagged, weighed down by some sedative administered, it might not make much of a difference. Now that Victoria had her hands free, she wasn't quite sure what to do. Dr Staple had long since left by then and they were both in the process of being wired up to a machine together for no doubt yet another horrendously unpleasant session.  Her left leg still ached from the last round and she didn't want to consider the rate of escalation in these trials.

 

Sitting there, she contemplated what to do as the technician rubbed some gel onto her temple. She considered how much of an upper hand 'the surprise' would give her and if it'd be enough to somehow... overcome this woman in a fight. An effective one that then also allowed her enough time afterwards to carefully pick the locks of Dennis's myriad of bonds. With a paperclip, given that the keys appeared to have left with the guards. True, he wasn't shacked beyond the point of extremely hypothetical escape, but escape would only come at the cost of the Beast who she was quite certain would treat her no better than the Blacktree staff.

 

With a sigh she looked around the room. The tray the woman held would have to do. Of course she fumbled it and they both struggled together for a long moment after she failed to effectively land the blow. It was only sheer luck that the woman slipped and hit her head, but not before she'd had plenty of time to slap some sort of device about her wrist which happened to coincide perfectly with the horrendous blaring alarms that began to sound.

 

"You need to get out of here," Victoria gasped, looking around frantically, expecting guards to arrive at any moment. Crouching down to press a hand to his forehead, Dennis groaned and sagged against her as if in pain from some injury that was not obviously visible. "Dennis, you need to get out of here. Now. I- I think you need the Beast's help." He shook his head, though she couldn't tell if it was in confusion or refusal. Either way, it wasn't a helpful response. 

 

Her vision blurred and she realized she was on the verge of tears. Blinking, one slid down her cheek and she sighed. No, she was definitely crying now and it was far from helpful. If only Patricia was here, she thought, turning towards the desk and frantically pulling every drawer open, digging through them. It would have been nice to see her, to maybe exchange another kiss, perhaps some passionate dramatic last words. She found a pair of scissors and turned back to find Dennis slumped against the bindings that held him in place.

 

Approaching him, she drew a shaky breath. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I think it'd be best- if possible- to destroy the entire building." She scrubbed at her eyes as she opened the scissors and gripped one side of them tightly. "Fire would be best. All papers, hard drives. I don't think we want anyone to gain from what they've done here." There was a pause and she drew a struggling breath. "Good luck," she whispered before drawing the blade of the scissors sharply along the length of his forearm. He cried out as blood welled up from the gash and she leaned in close, almost as if she expected a kiss from him. She worried for a moment she might need to cut him again when there was a sudden crack and one by one, he ripped free of his bindings. Fear gripped her despite her attempts to brace for it and she stumbled back and as far away as she could.

 

Of course he didn't head towards the door. That would have been helpful and well timed. No, the first thing the Beast did when he escaped was slide over to her, grinning widely.

 

* * *

 

Their efforts to determine exactly where they were keeping Dennis and Victoria were cut short. Had they gone on, it would have been a long and painful process. It was a massive building. And as many floors up as it went, Casey had a good guess it had as many down as well, despite what Cadence's floor plans said. She and Blue had explored the perimeter as best they could and she'd definitely been able to detect several floors below. But as far as her Sight reached, she couldn't tell where they were kept and so they'd forestalled their dramatic entry with firearms in favor of surveying the situation. The delay was maddening but she understood that they only had one chance at this. That'd been yesterday and now they grouped closely together not far away and discussed possible ruses to gain entry to the building.

 

It was an explosion several floors up that stopped their conversation dead in its tracks. A moment later Cadence's phone dinged and she said, "Yep, I think they're up there," but they'd all collectively begun moving by then.  Given that there had just been an explosion, not nearly enough people were fleeing the building. That just wasn't right, Casey knew on a gut level. When they'd entered the building and begun to force their way towards their friends, she held onto that thought as she helped clear the way.

 

The path they cut through the building and its staff was brutal. In part because far too many guards decided to stand their ground for one idiotic reason or another, and in part because the group was horrifyingly effective. Casey neatly eliminated all surveillance they encountered as well as occasional strange banks of lights she recognized from the hospital, all the while explaining what was ahead and around the next corner. Blue and David were disturbingly efficient at clearing the way through the guards and Cadence followed behind everyone not being particularly useful other than calling out occasional directions. In truth the intermittent muffled sound of gunshots elsewhere in the building were just as useful at navigating them in the right direction.

 

They found the Beast drenched in blood, standing in the middle of a hallway, a small pile of guards strewn about his feet. There appeared to be a trail of several of them, or bits there of, leading towards one of the doors, the door itself propped open by yet another body. It seemed like a stairwell, but some of the labs they'd passed had been quite large making it hard to be sure.

 

There was an awkward moment as the group surveyed him and he them. Blue didn't lower his gun but David didn't rush in either. Both sides seemed to wait as Casey began to carefully approach. "Fuck," Cadence mumbled and Casey tried to ignore her.

 

As she drew near, hands carefully raised, he twisted his head slightly and smiled. Lithely stepping over the bodies between them, he was by her side and standing nearly right up against her in the blink of an eye. Heedless of the state he was in, he brought his hands up to cup her face, painting it red. "I did good," he said, quite proudly, and immediately leaned in for a kiss. Casey blinked in surprise and held still as he did so. Dennis did not suddenly claim the Light and eventually the Beast pulled back, still widely grinning despite her stunned response.

 

"Where is Victoria?" David asked when it became clear no one else could. The Beast just hissed and leaned forward to nuzzle into Casey's neck as his hands dropped to her waist. Blinking in muted shock, she pressed her palms against his chest and leaned away from him. He scowled quite dramatically at that, looking first at her and then to David.

 

"I said I did good," he snapped, "She's in there." His head jerked to the side sharply. "Be careful, I gave her a gun and she doesn't know how to use it." Everyone seemed to hesitate and then David moved towards the room he indicated. Blue seemed to keep watch while Cadence scurried to follow. 

 

Biting her lip, Casey stared at the Beast as he turned back to her, smiling. "I did good," he repeated. She nodded sharply. He looked around and frowned. "We have more things we want to do..." The way he spoke was rather unsettling and she realized it was the first time he'd spoken on behalf of the group. "The lights, they prevent us from exploring." He looked at her and licked his lips. "Will you come with us? Help us?"

 

Swallowing, she nodded. He leaned in and inhaled sharply against her neck. "Pure," he whispered in delight before jerking his head, indicating they were to head down the hall.

 

"What the fuck!?" Blue cried from where he'd move to stand guard by the door. Looking into the room, Casey knew that the three others were safely crowded around a computer, enchanted by something, and so she just waved at him. 

 

"We'll be right back," she called weakly, as the Beast seemed to circle her with anxious energy to be on their way. She felt a him press against her back, encouraging her to continue forward and when he withdrew his touch she felt the fabric still cling to her skin, some of the blood and gore he was painted in having soaked through it.

 

The Beast stayed close to her side, darting forward only when she warned of guards after first ensured there were no light banks remaining that could pose a threat to him. He lead her on a seemingly random path through the building, backtracking twice down a corridor after he'd already spent the time dealing with the individuals they'd found there. Watching him leap upon a screaming man, his weight carrying both of them to the floor where he proceeded to rip the man's throat out with a combination of teeth and prying hands, left Casey feeling a little woozy. She'd not felt the need to mark the Beast's kills from any of the jobs the company had sent them on so far but she worried how she'd cope with the orgy of violence that was unfolding before her.

 

Eventually he came to stop before a room. When Dennis claimed the Light, it seemed to happen smoothly and with no struggle. That he asked her to wait outside was a blessing. The Beast had broken the lock off when they'd come to a stop and she'd heard the cries coming from the other side of the door. She didn't want to go in there, knowing well enough what was going to happen, and she was spared the embarrassment of having to say so.

 

* * *

 

While Dennis had been just as insistent as Patricia that they needed to deal with the woman, she was surprised that he seemed quite content to let her handle the situation, passing her the Light as the door closed behind them. She'd expected he'd want to lash out, if only briefly, at the hateful doctor who had tormented them so- who seemed to have taken such a special delight in tormenting Dennis in particular. Instead he simply watched as she threw the woman across the room, the Beast's strength almost at her fingertips with him hovering so near the Light. Calmly she drew open a drawer which, luckily, contained numerous medical instruments. Several of them had already been applied to them by the doctor at one point or another and she chose a rather modest scalpel from the selection available. She was surprised the woman hadn't thought to hide somewhere else.

 

The doctor was babbling, a mixtures of apologies and pleas to spare her life, as she cowered in the corner. Patricia surveyed the woman and sighed heavily. They'd spent so much time thinking about this moment. Fantasizing about it. All those hours in the hospital, trapped with nothing to do but think, especially after the confiscation of yet another one of Victoria's books. Patricia just shook her head in disappointment as she reached down to grab ahold of the doctor and drag her to her feet. There was no way there was time to act out even half of the horrible things she'd imagined doing to the woman. All in all, she was surprised by how disappointed she felt by the moment at hand.

 

"You don't have to do this," Dr Staple gasped as Patricia brushed several of the woman's limp red locks from her face. She at least wanted to be able to look the woman in the eye, even if she couldn't drag it out as long as she'd liked.

 

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" Patricia said as she gave the woman a condescending smile and placed a hand over her mouth. "See, Doctor," she sigh, pressing her up against the wall. "You should have listened when little Victoria suggested you help us out. I would have done it. Gone along and helped, even invited you to join our little 'team'. Victoria, she does so love having friends to talk science to. See, we've learned to forgive and let live. And now look at us, doing much better." She tapped the woman on the nose with the scalpel, the flat of the blade bouncing off it. "But you just couldn't let go. And now you're going to die." Patricia shrugged and smiled. From behind her hand, the doctor sobbed.

 

"Who knows, maybe we could have even become friends? I mean, sure, I absolutely despise you now and find you utterly pathetic, but you know, I used to think the same about Casey and I'm really starting to come around. So who knows? It probably could have worked out quite well. Actually, I'm even starting to warm up on David, did you know?” she confided in a conspiratorial tone with another smile. “After all that 'group therapy', who would have thought? Really you've only yourself to blame. If only you'd learned to trust others." She twisted the scalpel and the next time it came down, it was not upon her nose, nor was it the flat of the blade. "If only you weren't such a bitch in the first place, I wouldn't have felt the need to circle back for this."

 

* * *

 

David ignored Victoria’s claims that she wasn’t hiding, only looking for a building schematic, as did Cadence. Cadence in fact ignored both of them as she pushed the woman out of the way to plant herself in front of the terminal and then refused to move for the next five minutes. Frustrated beyond belief, David was prepared to drag both women from the room when the girl finally started to share what she was finding.

 

It turned out there were four other people in that hospital with the Horde and Victoria. Four others, like them, three of which David didn't find offensive actually comparing himself to. One of them was definitely insane, apparently who they'd detected in Denver before Blacktree had snatched them up. The scientist Victoria had tried to meet was weird, but he along with the other two had at least never killed anyone or even tried to.

 

There'd almost been a scuffle when Casey had to practically drag the Beast back with them. He'd searched three whole floors before they'd been able to convince him that Jeff's father was not in the building. The truth was none of them actually knew that, but their odds of finding the man were not even remotely feasible. The Beast's method of breaking down every door he found or routing through a nearby window were not particularly efficient.

 

Backing out of the building they’d so blithely rushed into proved easier than he expected. By the final floor the Beast had resigned himself to their retreat and David had finally managed come to terms with the Beast’s ragged, rather monstrous breathing beside him. Piling everyone, from cowering escapees to the heaving Beast, into the van meant to seat only about half that number was a challenge but David had persevered.

 

It'd been an interesting ride home, everyone rather overly proud of themselves or cowering in the face of freedom after an extended period of capture and presumably torture. Victoria later had tried to explain that while the sessions were intensely unpleasant, one wouldn't necessarily view it as torture because it was never optimized for pain, which was when he'd tuned her out. The poor woman had always been a bit unhinged but she’s clearly gotten worse. Her attachment to the Horde had obviously intensified after such a traumatic ordeal, which was impressive because it had already been noticeably unhealthy.

 

The two girls had been kind enough to pry themselves off the Horde when they'd reached the warehouse and Joseph and Barry had their tearful reunion. David noticed and appreciated Jeff hanging back to give them some time. He couldn't tell from the child's solemn expression if he knew his father would have met the Horde or not. Regardless, he waited until Joseph and Barry had calmed themselves before approaching and then there was a tiny cracking sound as he seemed to reflexively zap Hedwig when the man grabbed him up into a hug. 

 

It was all very sweet and charming, but David couldn't help but note how quickly Cadence pulled aside Ms Nagasaki and Mr Glass. No doubt to talk about the files they'd pulled from the building. Shaking his head, he went about helping Blue settle in their latest escapees.

 

* * *

 

There hadn't really been much of a discussion as to how the evening would be spent. Barry had enjoyed dinner but Dennis claimed the Light as they slipped back into his room after excusing themselves as early as reasonably possible.

 

"It's- It's alright if you don't want to do this," Dennis assured her once again and she just shook her head. They both shed their cloths, almost nervously. While they had certainly seen all there was to see of each other the novelty was still there and they both glanced nervously at the other. She moved close to him and pressed a kiss against the side of his neck. With a gasp, Dennis gripped her shoulders and after a moment pushed her back a step and then another and then onto the bed. Scooting back onto it, she looked at him and bit her lip. 

 

"Maybe it would go better if..." she started to say and then just pushed and tugged him into place. Straddling his hips, she patted his chest lightly. "Yes, this... I think this will be better." Nodding nervously, he looked down to where their hips met and then away again, definitely blushing. Casey laughed and then reached down to grip him. "It turns you on that much does it?" she asked, giving him her best wicked grin. Closing his eyes, he nodded sharply and she could feel him twitch in her grip.

 

Leaning forward she paused, lips brushing his ear before she whispered, "It turns me on too." She was rewarded with a rather strangled gasp and the feeling of him buck under her. In truth it also scared her a bit but Dennis's delight and excitement helped her overcome any lingering concerns. 

 

For his part, Dennis was wonderful and perfect. There had been some discussion of him going down on her first but she was worried she'd get distracted and they wouldn't actually get around to business. Best to just get right to it, she'd said. Dennis had hardly needed much encouragement after that. There were certain things she was finding that could get Dennis wound up quite quickly. She mentally added the idea of the Beast fucking her towards the top of the list.

 

Dennis didn't last long, but that had sort of been the plan. They'd both agreed it'd be best begun like this. She pressed a kiss against his lips as he gave her a deeply contented smile. Nodding her head, she sat up and smiled back down at him. His eyes fluttered shut and he seemed to rest there for a moment. 

 

Her smile had just begun to falter when he suddenly moved. He drew a deep breath and arched under her, forcing her to lean forward, palms placed upon his chest to keep from falling. Hands quickly came down upon her hips, pinning her in place and she no longer had to worry about tumbling from him.

 

The delighted rumble that echoed in the Beast's chest caused her toes to curl. "I did good?" The question in his tone was playful, sounding quite pleased with himself. Still struggling with the transition between the two, Casey just gasped and nodded her head. "And this is my reward?" he asked, running his hands up and down her legs as he began to rock his hips. Biting her lip, Casey again nodded. A gasp escaped her as he returned his grip to her hips and he pulled her down hard upon himself. 

 

"Yes," she panted and struggled to push herself back up into a seated position. Her eyes fluttered and she moaned again as he began to move her hips against him. "A reward... for good behavior," she struggled to remind him. When she'd let Dennis talk her into... trying again with the Beast back in Nashville she'd ended the encounter with a promise he'd be rewarded with more if he behaved himself. At the time it'd seemed like nothing more than yet another request for the Beast to act reasonable, one of many already voiced. That she'd been planning on indulging him again was unrelated to any actual expected behavior change on his part. It seemed, however, that he'd quite taken the offer to heart.

 

She didn't remain on top for very long, the Beast rolling them over so that he braced himself above her. Biting her lip, she ran her hands across his chest and stared up at him. If this was all it took to reign in his murderous tendencies, she could consider herself a lucky girl indeed and the problem well and truly solved. Lowering his head, he nuzzled her neck and moved a hand to her chest. At the feeling of teeth tugging on her earlobe, she gasped and writhed under him. Obviously it wouldn't be that easy, but it certainly seemed like quite a good start.

 

* * *

 

“Man,” Cadence complained, eyes glued to her computer screen. “This woman took really shitty notes… but she took a lot of them.” Victoria made a vague inquisitive sound in response to that though she didn’t look up from the files she scanned on her machine. “Like… she has a file for everyone.” Victoria paused and looked over to Cadence.

 

“Everyone?” she asked. When the girl wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, Victoria huffed and moved to look over her shoulder. “Oh my- she-” Clenching her fists, she couldn’t help but read the entire document over the girl’s shoulder. “Well she is absolutely wrong on a number of accounts,” she muttered, enraged once again to be reminded the doctor had kept detailed notes on her along with the patients. Casey hadn’t said in so many words what happened to the doctor, but enough was made clear that Victoria knew the woman was no more and she briefly felt bad for thinking so poorly of the dead and likely tortured.

 

“Yeah, well, yours is, like, a cliffs-notes compared to the essays she wrote on the others,” Cadence said. “Also, I don’t think she was that off.” Victoria glared at the girl and moved back to her own machine. “There’s a lot of video footage to back it all up though. Like… a lot. Oh man, I’m so screwed,” she sighed and propped her chin up on her elbow, staring at the screen. Victoria resisted the temptation to wander over again to see what she looked at.

 

“It’s not just footage from the hospital,” Mr Glass said from behind them and both women jumped in surprise, neither having heard his approach. “It’s all the research, from before and from her time in the Detroit facility. All of it. And not just hers. Every shred of published evidence and a lot of material I’ve never seen, but all of it irrefutable when paired with the records.”

 

“Oh that should be very helpful,” Victoria said with a smile.

 

* * *

 

"We should go public," Elijah said quite plainly at the entirely voluntary but always fully attended 'company meetings'. "We have enough footage now. Data. Facts. Truth. They can't deny we exist. We need to let the world know."

 

It'd been basically stunned silence in response to that for a good fifteen seconds. Everyone looked around. It seemed like someone was supposed to dramatically shout 'no!' or something but as the idea settled over the group, they all began to slowly nod.

 

"What do we gain by it?" David asked, not exactly refuting the idea but needing to make sure they thought this through. "Obviously you meant about powers, not us- this location exactly," he muttered, cutting Victoria off before she could begin a helpful clarification.

 

"If people know that we exist, that we're real... then they'll know sooner that they're like us. It wont take such... extreme lengths to find others like ourselves. The first step is letting them know they're not alone. The world needs to know we're here so that we can find each other."

 

"We'll vote on it," Ms Nagasaki helpfully interjected. "It's... an interesting idea. Obviously we'll have to work out the details so that we don't jeopardize anyone. Just because they know we're real isn't enough to stop them from being cruel to us. But it's worth... considering." She looked around the group. "It's a serious decision, I want everyone to think it through."

 

* * *

 

Everyone had been granted a day to reflect upon the idea and ask the necessary questions. Victoria had stayed out of the way for the most part, Ms Nagasaki and Mr Glass meeting for most of it to discuss this hypothetical plan.

 

As the time for the proposed vote drew near, Victoria sat in her room, flipping through one of several books piled around her on the bed. The knock upon her door was familiar and she scrambled up to answer it. Before she could read it, Patricia let herself into the room and frowned at her. 

 

“Victoria, what are you doing up here, darling? Everyone’s in the room already.” Victoria glanced at the clock and sighed.

 

“It’s not even time yet and… I didn’t want to get in the way so I thought-”

 

“What’s that?” Patricia interrupted her, frowning.

 

“Well, I mean, all of you are going to-”

 

“What do you mean, all of ‘you’? Why would you not be included in the group?”

 

"I'm not- I'm not 'Pure'," she applied her own petty air quotes here, frustrated. "I'm not one of you super human people so no, I'm not part of the group." She huffed, embarrassed that her eyes stung with tears. “I didn’t want to go down and be told I wasn’t supposed to vote so I was just going to stay here and wait.”

 

"Darling, you're definitely part of the group. Oh, dear, come here." Patricia pulled her into a hug and Victoria stood there, holding herself rigid. A kiss was placed atop her head. "I think your opinion on whether we should all ‘go public’ or not is very valuable. Victoria, darling, it’s a question for the entire company and you're part of it, same as everyone else.”

Flushing, Victoria shook her head. "Am I though? I- I helped you out get out of the hospital maybe, I'll believe you when you say that, but..." She looked around the concrete room, ceilings spanning a height even the Beast would take a while to reach the top of. "You guys fight crime, or do crime, I'm still not entirely certain. And you let me hang around because I'm... well, I've got no other life to go back to. So it's a pity thing, I get it."

 

Stepping back, Patricia lifted a hand and placed it on Victoria's cheek. "Darling, there's no pity here." Her lips curled into a sudden, wicked smile, "And it's not just because I fancy you so, my dear." Leaning forward, she placed a light kiss on Victoria's forehead. "It's because you are very clever and you are very kind and you help people get along. And I think it's important that you be who you are, and that you be with us." 

 

Wrinkling her nose slightly, she asked "What do you mean 'be who you are'? Are you calling me Impure again? You know I hate it when you keep referring to that."

 

Patricia chuckled and placed another kiss upon her forehead. "Oh you speak of it like it's a pesky disease," she sighed. "Darling, I just need to make sure you understand. You're part of the group and you're very welcome here on your own right." Arms circled around Victoria's waist and she was pulled into a gentle hug. 

 

With a huff, Victoria pouted. "I'm quite certain that if you weren't here to convince them of that fact, they might not notice it." Patricia hummed and pressed a kiss to her temple. 

 

"Yes, well," she nodded. "I agree it's important I remind them of this fact. All, lets say, none of them. Victoria, everyone knows your useful now. Even Ms Nagasaki, who I'll admit, was a bit slow to understand. But if you're worried about it, let me assure you that I shall continue to remind them how wonderful and important you are and that none of us would tolerate you being not treated as an equal." She pressed another kiss to Victoria's head. "Now stop pouting and come join us for the vote."

  
**_~* End *~_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Concluding song: [Something Good by Julie Andrews, Bill Lee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eITiP7tTDrs) \-- fucking creepy and beautiful if you imagine it as Patricia/Dennis singing to/about Victoria/Casey  
> [[entire story playlist found here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eITiP7tTDrs)]
> 
> Thus is the (awkward? forced?) ending of my first fan fic. Far from ideal, but done at least. I do enjoy having deadlines and adhering to them. Maybe at some point I'll go through and clean this up... was writing some "glue-it-together" scenes as last as 12:30am last night- felt like them old homework days. All in all I started posting with about a 20k word count lead a little over four months ago and end with about a 25k surpluses of cut scenes and a small mountain of explicate Patricia/Victoria erotica that I'm pretty sure no one but myself wants to read.
> 
> I always thought I had elaborate daydreams... now I feel I've a quantifiable sense of how elaborate. Easily 200k words worth of 'elaborate', and I could easily keep tapping away chasing ongoing story lines. I've made the comment/joke more than once in the last four months that writing a whole story (something I've never really tried to do before) feels exactly like debugging code. Maybe next time I'll try to pick a day dream with a slightly shorter stack trace. My initial delight at how easy it was to put thought to word turned on me around the 120k mark when I realized the length would likely be a deterrent for people to read it. On one hand I could loftily say I don't care if it's read, I write to capture my own amusement... but on the other it feels good to participate within a community of others (not just in one's head) and receive validation. All in all, very much a learning experience which is always what I appreciate. Now I Know.
> 
> For anyone who made it to the end, I'd be curious about which aspects of the story appealed. Adherence/cohesion with cinematic universe? Philosophical tangents? Erotica? Action/Adventure/Horror? Any sense of identification with a particular character?
> 
> Very tentatively I'd ask for constructive criticism. I know my vocabulary/word choice could use some improvement- are we really going to fucking 'sigh' again, brain? Like, I have apparently only four gestures on tap and the dialog just flows around them. Anyway, am going to see the new movie tomorrow (oh god, please no spoilers! I've managed to steer clear so far!!) and there's a good chance I'll be writing something (SHORTER) afterwards so ideas on how to improve/what people look for would be welcome.
> 
> In the mean time: [OMG GO READ ALL THE STORIES BY DennisCrumb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DennisCrumb/pseuds/DennisCrumb/works?fandom_id=13993850)!! I went back and reread their works (which are amazing, beautifully written) and realized any good Casey idea I used came from them. This story now feels almost fan fiction once removed- I wasn't writing based off the movie but off their take of the characters.
> 
> Also, one final shout out to my small collection of beloved readers who routinely commented as I wrote it. Hannah, JaliceCookie, and Arethahiwatari in particular- it meant a lot to me to know you followed along. Thank you.


End file.
